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MARTIN    BOEHM 

liii    iir(  iicIkiI    tin     SI  rum  It    <it    oitr    ijcinniiiudiioiinl 
/'(i{t<  <-<,st  iit'ctiiu/.   Ik  III  oil    Wlilt-siiiitiih    ill 
/siKic     Luiiifs     hiini.      Lnuriixttr     Cmi-ntii. 
I'cit iiyj/l niiiid.    ill    tlic    H'lir    lliil. 


AF-i  21  1952 


OUR  HEROES 

or 

UNITED  BRETHREN  HOME 
MISSIONARIES 


*/  By 

W.  M.  WEEKLEY,  D.D. 
Bishop  of  WeS  Diflria 

H.  H.  FOUT,  D.D. 

Editor  Sunday-School  Literaturs 


Introduction  by 

G.  M.  MATHEWS.  D.D. 

Senior  Bishop  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 


VOLUME  II 


THE  OTTERBEIN   PRESS 
W.  K.  FUNK,  Agent 
•      DAYTON,   OHIO 


The  United  Brethren  Publishing  House 

I  ayton,  Ohio 

VV.  R.  FUNK.   Publisher 

1911 


FOREWORD 


In  fulfillment  of  a  promise  contained  in  the  foreword  of 
the  former  volume  of  "Our  Heroes,"  and  encouraged  by  the 
cordial  reception  which  was  given  it,  this  second  volume 
is  issued.     The  task  has  been  one  of  increasing  pleasure. 

It  is  said  that  the  writer  of  fiction  falls  in  love  with 
his  hero.  This  can  also  be  said  of  the  writer  of  facts. 
Such  deeds  as  are  recorded  in  the  pages  that  follow,  such 
aspirations  and  holy  achievements  at  a  critical  period  in 
the  history  of  a  militant  church  as  we  see  in  the  life  story 
of  early  United  Brethren  itinerants,  win  and  hold  the  ad- 
miration of  men  who  have  entered  into  their  labors.  Those 
who  are  engaged  in  missionary  education,  find  that  of  all 
literature  on  the  subject,  biography  is  the  most  effective. 

It  has  not  been  an  easy  task  to  gather  the  material  for 
these  biographies.  The  standard  histories  of  the  church 
have  but  little  to  say  about  these  remarkable  men,  and  in 
the  whole  range  of  periodical  literature,  we  find  a  strange 
dearth  of  reference  to  them.  So  that  the  larger  part  of 
the  material  composing  these  chapters  is  new,  having  been 
gathered  from  other  and  various  sources. 

Moreover,  it  has  not  been  an  easy  task  to  compress  the 
main  features  of  the  biography  of  a  great  man  "of  whom 
the  world  is  not  worthy,"  into  a  single  chapter,  when  one 
longs  for  two  or  three  hundred  pages  to  tell  the  thrilling 
story  of  toil  and  sacrifice  and  triumph.  We  hope,  however, 
that  the  chapters  may  be  found  to  give  the  leading  facts 
in  the  career  of  each  of  these  missionary  heroes,  and  that 
not  a  few  of  those  who  read  the  book  may  be  inspired  "to 
follow  in  their  train." 

These  chapters  record  no  deeds  of  men  whom  the  world 
calls  great;  they  record  the  great  deeds  of  men  whom  God 
counts  as  heroes.  The  reader  will  search  in  vain  in  the 
early  records  of  United  Brethrenism  for  any  names  that 
are  well-known  in  the  annals  of  the  Church  at  large.  The 
denomination  was  founded  by  humble  pioneer  preachers, 
men  who  were  willing  to  serve  in  obscurity,  if  through 
their  efforts  the  souls  of  men  might  be  saved,  and  the 
kingdom  of  God  advanced  even  in  the  wilderness.  And 
to  these  brave  men,  who  cut  their  way  through  the  forests, 
who  forded  dangerous  streams,  who  endured  much  hard- 
ship and  privation,  not  only  our  denomination,  but  the 
Nation  as  well,  owes  a  great  debt. 

3 


The  conviction  grows  upon  us  as  the  field  enlarges, 
and  it  is  deepened  by  requests  coming  from  all  parts  of 
the  Church,  that  the  work  should  be  continued.  We  have, 
therefore,  consented  to  give  ourselves  to  the  preparation 
of  other  volumes.  The  debt  we  owe  our  heroes  and  the 
promotion  of  our  denominational  life  and  loyalty  demand 
that  the  work  should  be  continued  indefinitely.  Much  of 
the  material  for  a  third  volume  is  already  in  our  hands. 

We  wish  to  acknowledge  our  gratitude  to  the  publisher, 
who  has  extended  many  courtesies,  and  who  in  the  me- 
chanical part  of  the  work  has  left  nothing  to  be  desired. 

We  also  owe  a  debt  of  acknowledgment  and  gratitude 
to  friends  in  various  sections  of  the  country  who  have  so 
kindly  and  generously  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  this 
volume  by  gathering  and  furnishing  material. 

We  indulge  the  hope  that  the  heroes  of  faith  to  whom 
the  following  pages  are  devoted,  may  find  as  warm  a  place 
in  the  regard  of  those  who  read  them  as  they  hold  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  have  written  them. 

Authors. 


CONTENTS 


Chapter                                                                                    p^ge 
Foreword  by  the  Authors iii 

Introduction  by  Bishop  G.  M.  Mathews,   D.D vii 

I.     Joseph  Hoffman — Otterbein's  Successor  in  the 

Pastorate     H 

Font 
II.     Henry  George  Spayth— Our  Pioneer  Historian..   26 

Fout 

III.     Daniel   Funkhouser— An   Early   Foundation 

Builder  in  the  East 44 

Weekley 

IV.  Aaron  Farmer — Our  Pioneer  Journalist 57 

Font 

V.  Samuel  Huber — Noted  for  His  Campmeeting 

Campaigns    73 

Weekley 

VI.  Jacob   Erb — Pioneer  Organizer   in  East  Penn- 

sylvania       90 

Font 

VII.     Jacob   Bachtel— A   Prominent   Leader   in  the 

Virginias    109 

Weekley 

VIII.     Christopher    Flinchbaugh — "Peter    Cartwright 

of  the  Miami  Valley" 122 

Fout 

IX.     Jonathan    Weaver— Noted    Pastor,    Presiding 

Elder,  and  Bishop   140 

Weekley 

X.     George    W.    Statton— An    Itinerant    of    Fifty- 
Two  Years    155 

Weekley 

XI.     Michael    Long — Pioneer    Evangelist    of    San- 
dusky  Conference    167 

Fout 
5 


Chapter  Page 

XII.  William    Cadman — Erie    Conference's    Pioneer 

Herald    185 

Weekley 

XIII.  John    Williams    Howe — A    Hero  of    Virginia 

Conference    197 

Fout 

XIV.  Ezra    D.    Palmer — Prominent    as    Churchman 

and   Leader    212 

Weekley 

XV.  M.    L.    Tibbetts — One    of    Minnesota's    Early 

Pioneers     223 

Weekley 

XVI.  James  L.  Hensley — An  Extended  Mountaineer 

Experience    234 

W9ckley 

XVII.     Conservation  of  Our  Resources 250 

Fout 


INTRODUCTION 


"Our  Heroes"!  What  an  appropriate  title  for  a  book 
on  home  evangelism  and  home  extension.  Such  a  sig- 
nificant and  suggestive  title  is  fitting  for  two  or  more 
volumes  giving  proper  recognition  to  those  who  wrought 
faithfully  in  the  distant  past,  and  laid  foundations  abiding; 
but  services  may  be  forgotten  and  names  unsung  by  suc- 
ceeding generations  who  have  built  and  are  building  upon 
those   foundations. 

And  yet,  nothing  that  is  true,  and  good,  and  loyal  to 
Christ  and  his  cause,  is  lost  or  entirely  forgotten.  The 
good  and  great  are  immortal.  This  is  God's  will  and  law. 
Their  graves  may  be  unmarked,  their  tombs  neglected, 
and  their  deeds  covered  over  with  the  growth  and 
achievements  of  later  years,  but  God  has  ordained 
that  the  memory  of  the  righteous  shall  not  perish.  For 
the  world  needs  the  inspiration  that  comes  from  their 
heroic  lives.  Some  pen  will  recount  the  story  of  their 
fidelity,  and  some  poet  will  sing  them  out  of  the  silence 
of  human  forgetfulness. 

The  authors  of  this  book  have  been  inspired  to  perform 
this  blessed  service.  They  have  laid  hold  of  hidden  treas- 
ures and  handed  down  to  us  and  to  succeeding  generations 
such  as  shall  richly  contribute  to  the  wealth  of  our  church 
literature  and  honor  our  denomination. 

How  may  we  expect  to  emphasize  and  perpetuate  the 
distinctive  principles  and  spirit  with  which  our  denom- 
inational life  began,  if  we  do  not  cherish  the  memory  of 
our  pioneer  fathers,  and  pay  just  tribute  to  their  toils, 
heroism,  and  achievements? 

The  forces  of  aggressive  evangelism  and  the  fires  of 
piety  and  missionary  zeal  that  marked  the  origin  of  our 
Church  will  be  best  kindled  upon  the  altar  of  the  Church 
by  holding  sacred  the  hardships  and  sacrifices  of  the  fath- 
ers in  those  days  when  they  counted  mightily  for  godliness 
and  the  spiritual  Christianity. 

A  perusal  of  this  biography,  not  only  fires  one's  own 
heart,  but  also  reminds  one  of  the  Old  Testament  heroes 
described  by  the  writer  of  Hebrews.  They  were  giants 
"of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy." 

So  our  pioneer  fathers  were  spirtual  giants.  They 
were   plain   men,   stalwart   in   character,   mighty   in   faith, 


inflexible  in  purpose,  and  rich  in  achievement;  for  their 
ministry  was  marvelously  fruitful  in  souls,  who  were  won 
to  God  as  the  leaves  of  the  forest  or  the  dews  of  the 
morning.  Without  appointment,  or  salary,  or  parsonage, 
or  library,  they  rode  on  horseback,  far  away  from  home 
and  loved  ones,  hundreds  of  miles,  through  the  solitary 
forest,  over  the  rugged  mountain  and  treacherous  swamp, 
flaming  home  missionaries  going  beyond  the  Ohio,  the 
Wabash,  the  Mississippi,  into  the  western  domain  then 
unsubdued  but  now  teeming  with  the  throbbing  life  of  a 
new  civilization.  They  preached  with  strange  power  the 
glorious  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  "There  were  giants  in 
those  days,"  as  well  as  in  the  earlier  centuries.  They  left 
an  imperishable  impress  upon  the  consciousness  of  the 
denomination  for  which  we  owe  them  a  debt  of  unspeak- 
able gratitude. 

Those  servants  of  God  had  such  a  rich,  joyous.  Chris- 
tian experience  and  were  borne  on  by  such  a  mighty  call 
and  conviction  from  God  that  they  created  an  atmosphere 
in  which  the  Home  Missionary  Society  was  born.  It  is 
well  that  that  society  retains  the  same  spiritual  intensity 
and  aggressive  life  which  were  wrought  into  its  being 
over  a  half  century  ago. 

For  the  fathers  held  and  illustrated  the  elements  that 
are  to  redeem  America  from  her  perils  and  vices,  and 
to  make  her  a  real  Christian  country.  They  gave  the 
Church  a  distinct  denominational  spirit,  the  spirit  of 
democracy,  brotherhood,  and  broad  cooperation.  They 
created  an  evangelical  church  in  which  holiness  and 
spirituality  are  conspicuous.  They  expressed  faith  in  the 
fatherhood  of  God,  the  divine  sovereignty  and  atonement 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  personality  and  ministry  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  in  the  growth  and  administration  of  the 
Church.  They  preached  the  necessity  of  miraculous  con- 
version and  the  wonderful  saving  power  of  the  love  of 
God,  through  our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ. 

The  authors  of  this  volume  have  done  a  fine  service 
for  the  Church  and  American  Christianity  by  presenting 
striking,  concrete  examples  of  the  elements  and  spirit 
that  must  be  incarnated  in  the  religious  leaders  of  to-day 
in  order  to  Christianize  this  land   of  ours. 

This  second  volume  even  adds  to  the  interest  of  the 
first,  in  making  more  full  the  history  and  record  of  noble 
heroes  in  our  Church. 

It  shows  the  vital  importance  of  home  missions  as  a 
home  base.  The  life  and  resources  of  the  home  church 
must  be  developed  and  strengthened.  Christianity  must 
be  domiciled  in  every  nook  and  corner  of  America  so  that 
in  the  regeneration  of  her  cities,  the  transformation  of 
her  communities,  the  purification  of  her  social  life,  and  the 


cleansing    of    her    national    conscience,    she    shall    become 
really  a  Christian  nation. 

Whoever  reads  this  book  will  feel  like  doing  his  share 
to  forward  the  work  of  home  missions  in  this  country. 
For  America,  with  her  marvelous  growth  and  opportun- 
ities, her  vices,  perils,  heterogeneous  elements,  and  un- 
toward environments,  must  command  the  attention  of 
every  Christian  citizen.  America,  with  her  throbbing, 
complex  life,  the  laboratory  out  of  which  should  come  the 
product  of  a  better  Christian  citizenship,  must  be  evan- 
gelized and  transformed  by  the  gospel  in  the  interest  of 
a  strong,  patriotic,  dominant,  Protestant  Christianity.  If 
we  do  not  face  this  task  and  strike  as  never  before  for 
the  conquest  of  America,  the.  heroism  of  our  fathers  will 
shame  us,  their  sacrifices  mock  us,  and  their  spirit  depart 
from  us. 

The  purpose  and  mission  of  this  second  volume  being 
so  worthy,  it  deserves  the  widest  distribution  throughout 
the  Church. 

G.  M.  Mathews. 
Chicago,  Illinois. 


OUR  HEROES 


or 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 


CHAPTER  I. 
JOSEPH   HOFFMAN. 

Otterhein's  Successor  in  the  Pastorate. 

Literature  assumes  its  most  interesting 
form  when  it  deals  witli  the  spirit  and  message 
of  the  men  who  have  had  something  to  dO'  in 
shaping  the  centuries  that  followed  them.  To 
this  class  belong  that  noble  company  of  heroes 
known  as  the  early  apostles  of  American  Chris- 
tianity. They  had  a  voice  not  only  for  their 
own  age  but  for  subsequent  ages. 

The  pioneer  missionaries  of  the  cross  were 
true  nation-builders.  Without  the  moral  founda- 
tions laid  by  them,  the  Republic  would  have 
started  upon  its  career  fatally  defective  in  the 
elements  which  contribute  to  enduring  national 
life.  In  a  notable  speech  before  the  United 
States  Senate,  Stephen  A,  Douglas,  when  re- 
ferring to  the  place  of  the  Bible  in  civilization, 
and  religion  as  a  fundamental  part  of  true 
government,  said :  "The  pioneer  missionaries 
carried  civilization  in  their  saddle-bags  through 

11 


Our  Heroes,  or 

the  western  wilderness."  Theodore  Roosevelt, 
in  his  book  entitled,  "Winning  the  West,"  pays 
a  similar  tribute  to  the  work  of  the  missionary 
on  the  frontier  in  our  day.  In  the  foremovst 
ranks  of  these  knights  errant,  from  the  birth  of 
our  nation  until  the  present  time,  have  been 
found  representatives  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church. 

Soon  after  the  historic  conference  of  1800, 
when  the  official  name  of  the  Church  was 
adopted,  the  cry  was  heard  from  beyond  the 
Alleghenies,  "Come  over  and  help  us."  In  these 
times  of  superb  railway  expresses  and  of  palatial 
hotels,  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  imagine  the 
hardships  and  perils  involved  in  such  an  under- 
taking. It  required  the  courage  and  zeal  of  the 
apostles  to  answer  the  call.  But  the  response 
was  immediate.  The  missionaries  started  west- 
ward, bravely  enduring  the  hardships  incident 
to  the  journey;  they  crossed  the  mountains  and 
forded  the  rivers  on  horseback,  waded  the 
marshes,  penetrated  the  forests,  and  when  op- 
portunity afforded,  whether  in  barns,  log  cabins, 
rude  school  houses,  or  in  nature's  temples,  pro- 
claimed the  message  of  salvation.  Within  ten 
years  a  conference  was  organized  west  of  the 
mountains.  Within  thirt^^-five  years  eight  such 
organizations  had  been  effected,  and  in  fifty 
years  the  Church  had  planted  the  banner  of  the 
cross  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 

Conspicuous  in  the  list  of  those  who  dis- 
tinguished themselves  in  the  pioneer  missionary 

12 


United  Brethren   Home  Missionaries 

work  of  the  Church  is  the  name  of  Joseph  Hoff- 
man, the  successor  to  Mr.  Otterbein  in  his 
pastorate  at  Baltimore.  He  was  born  on  the 
nineteenth  day  of  March,  1780,  in  Cumberland 
County,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  converted  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  and  entered  the  ministry  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three.  From  the  first,  he 
attracted  attention  as  a  preacher,  and  quickly 
rose  to  prominence  in  his  conference. 

Mr.  Hoffman  was  reared  in  a  religious  at- 
mosphere. The  influence  of  godly  parents  was 
a  positive  force  in  shaping  his  distinguished 
career.  In  his  humble  German  home  he  was 
also  trained  to  a  life  of  toil — a  discipline  nec- 
essary as  a  preparation  for  the  rough  tasks 
which,  in  God's  plan,  he  was  to  meet  later  in  life. 
When  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  young  Hoff- 
man became  deeply  interested  in  the  matter  of 
his  personal  salvation,  but  not  until  seven  years 
later  did  he  fully  yield  his  life  to  God.  The 
circumstances  of  his  conversion  were  vivid  and 
memorable.  He  had  a  marked  religious  experi- 
ence, which  lay  at  the  foundation  of  his 
evangelistic  usefulness,  and  gave  tone  and  char- 
acter to  his  outlook  upon  life.  In  1803  he  was 
licensed  to  preach,  and  the  following  year  entered 
upon  his  itinerant  ministr3^  In  singleness  of 
purpose,  untiring  diligence,  missionary  zeal, 
and  achieved  results,  he  probably  as  nearly 
approached  Newcomer  as  did  any  of  his  con- 
temporaries. He  was  earnest,  persevering,  and 
daring.     He  went  where  duty  called.     His  in- 

13 


Our  Heroes,  or 

tensity  of  effort,  the  long  distances  traveled, 
and  his  exposure  to  cold  and  storm,  almost  sent 
him  to  his  death  before  he  closed  the  tenth 
year  of  his  ministry.  United  Brethren  history 
presents  few,  if  any,  more  conspicuous  examples 
of  an  imperious  will,  coupled  with  an  all-com- 
pelling sense  of  duty,  made  triumphant  over 
physical  ills,  than  is  furnished  in  the  career  of 
this  disting-uished  hero  of  the  cross,  especially 
during  the  first  decade  of  his  missionary  work. 
Speaking  of  this  period  of  his  ministry,  Mr. 
Spayth,  who  knew  him  well,  says :  "Virginia, 
Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania,  were  alternately 
his  field  of  labor.  In  Brother  Hoffman  the 
itinerant  preacher  was  freely  exemplified.  In 
labors  abundant,  even  to  excess.  An  originality 
and  inspired  power  characterized  his  preaching 
in  a  peculiar  manner.  Sinners  wept  and  be- 
lievers rejoiced.  His  joy  in  the  gospel  harvest 
was,  nevertheless,  balanced  by  the  burden,  the 
heat,  the  sweat  and  fatigue,  which  like  so  many 
ministering  angels  waited  on  the  itinerant 
preacher  wherever  he  went,  and  Joseph  Hoffman 
enjoyed  the  benefit  of  their  constant  attendance 
from  1804  to  1812.  Six  or  seven  months  before 
the  sitting  of  the  annual  conference  (in  1812), 
i  a  calm  atmosphere,  the  sound  of  Hoffman's 
voice  had  been  distinctly  heard  a  mile  from  the 
house  at  which  he  preached,  and  yet  that  voice 
was  not  strained,  but  flowed  in  unison  with  the 
gospel  theme.  But  at  that  time  he  arose  slowly, 
as  one  borne  down  by  some  unseen  weight,  and 

14 


Vnited  Brethren  Home  MissioTiaHes 

in  his  effort  to  speak,  that  strong  voice  was 
reduced  to  a  faintness ;  the  book  trembled  in  his 
hands.  This  sight,  and  the  few  words  which  he 
attempted  to  say,  moved  the  audience  to  the 
strongest  sympathy;  they  knew  the  cause  and 
felt  the  more  easily  affected.  To  human  appear- 
ance his  health  and  strength  were  gone." 

On  the  recovery  of  Mr.  Hoffman's  health, 
after  a  few  months  of  retirement,  he  continued 
his  work  with  the  same  degree  of  energy.  At 
this  time  none  of  the  early  ministers  sent  forth 
by  Otterbein  and  Boehm  had  been  ordained.  The 
matter  deeply  concerned  Mr.  Hoffman.  He 
traveled  ninety  miles  to  consult  Bishop  New- 
comer on  the  subject.  They  were  of  one  mind. 
Upon  these  saintly  men  the  mantle  of  Father 
Otterbein  was  soon  to  fall.  They  determined 
to  visit  him  at  once  and  receive  regular  ordi- 
nation to  the  ministry.  They  arrived  in  Balti- 
more October  1,  1813,  and  the  ordination  oc- 
curred the  following  day.  The  picture  of  that 
event  is  one  of  thrilling  and  pathetic  interest. 
Mr.  Otterbein  was  helped  into  an  armchair, 
from  which  he  tenderly  adressed  the  candidates. 
The  company  beheld  him  with  astonishment.  It 
appeared  as  if  he  had  received  particular  unction 
from  above  to  perform  the  solemn  act.  At  the 
close  of  the  address  he  offered  a  fervent  prayer. 
Then,  being  assisted  and  supported,  he  rose  to 
his  feet,  and,  placing  his  hands  on  the  heads 
of  the  candidates  and  standing  upon  the  very 
verge  of  the  unseen  world,  this  patriarchal  man 

15 


Oar  Heroes,  or 

solemnly  dedicated  these  two  brethren  to  the 
sacred  office  of  the  ministry.  Eight  days  after 
this  the  sainted  Otterbein  himself  stood  in  the 
presence  of  the  King  of  kings. 

Mr.  Hoffman  was  chosen  to  succeed  Bishop 
Otterbein  in  the  pastorate  at  Baltimore.  No 
higher  compliment  could  have  been  paid  him 
by  the  early  Church.  It  was  not  only  a  recog- 
nition of  his  superior  talents,  but  an  evidence 
of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his 
brethren.  He  was  a  close  friend  and  disciple 
of  Otterbein.  The  early  ministry  of  United 
Brethrenism  has  sometimes  been  alluded  to  as 
though  the  early  preachers  were  without  any 
preparation  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and 
as  men  having  no  education  at  all.  It  would 
be  altogether  unfair  to  say  that  Joseph  Hoffman 
was  not  an  educated  man.  True,  his  early  school 
advantages  were  limited,  but  he  was  a  student. 
No  young  man  of  his  type  could  have  been  a 
disciple  of  the  great  Otterbein  for  ten  years 
without  being  educated.  It  is  a  fact  in  which 
the  Church  may  well  take  a  little  pride,  that 
Bishop  Otterbein  was  regarded  as  the  best 
educated  man  that  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  up 
until  his  time.  Dr.  John  George  Pfrimmer 
was  also  a  man  of  superior  culture.  These 
trained  men  became  models  for  the  men  who 
had  not  been  so  trained.  Practically  they  be- 
came the  preceptors  of  the  men  who  had  not 
had  the  same  opportunities,  and  the  preachers 
who  came  into  the  ministry  under  them,   con- 

16 


JOSEPH    HOFFMAN 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

sciously  or  unconsciously,  imitated  their  manner 
and  came  into  some  inheritance  of  their  culture. 
When  some  one  asked  James  A.  Garfield  to 
state  what  constituted  a  university,  he  replied, 
"Mark  Hopkins  on  one  end  of  a.  log  and  a 
student  on  the  other." 

In  the  year  1817,  Mr.  Hoffman  received  what 
he  believed  to  be  a  divine  call  to  join  the  forces 
of  the  new  western  conference.  His  character- 
istic promptness  in  responding  to  the  call 
furnishes  a  noble  example  of  apostolic  courage. 
It  meant  the  severance  of  the  dearest  and  most 
sacred  ties  of  friendship.  Moreover,  it  meant  the 
giving  up  of  a  city  pastorate,  where  he  had  mde 
popularity,  and  where  the  relations  between 
pastor  and  people  were  most  pleasant,  for  the 
perils  and  privations  of  missionary  work  in  a 
new  and  largely  unsubdued  country.  It  meant 
to  exchange  the  streets  of  Baltimore  for  a 
wilderness  parish,  that  was  in  most  part  a 
stranger  to  the  beaten  highway.  But  it  was  not 
his  "to  reason  why,"  nor  "to  make  reply."  With 
his  family,  this  hero  of  the  cross  at  once  began 
the  journey  to  his  far-distant  field.  He  settled 
first  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  and  united  with 
the  Miami  Conference.  Immediately  he  began 
work  in  the  pioneer  settlements  of  the  Scioto 
and  Miami  valleys,  where  he  laid  the  foundation 
of  churches  whose  membership  still  live  to  praise 
him.  It  was  perfectly  natural  that  a  man  of  his 
ability,  experience,  and  reputation  would  at  once 
rise  to  prominence  in  the  conference.     In    the 

17 


Our  Heroes,  or 

divine  plan  he  was  soon  to  wear  the  mantle  of 
Bishop    Zeller,  whose  health  was  then  failing. 

Mr.  Hoffman  possessed  an  extraordinary  per- 
sonality. He  was  tall  and  straight,  with  an 
impressive  face  and  commanding  appearane.  He 
had  one  keen  eye,  the  other  having  been  destroyed 
by  the  stroke  of  a  limb  while  he  was  at  work 
in  the  forest.  His  countenance  was  expressive, 
and  the  whole  man  seemed  to  speak  to  you.  His 
voice  possessed  unusual  power — deep-toned, 
mellow,  rich,  with  extraordinary  strength,  when 
occasion  called  it  forth.  This  of  itself  made 
him  most  popular  and  famous  as  a  camp- 
meeting  preacher.  "As  an  expounder  of  the 
Scripture,  he  held  high  rank,  and  his  gifts  of 
speech  were  such  as  to  lay  claim  to  high  orator- 
ical powers."  He  spoke  with  equal  fluency  in 
the  English  and  the  German  languages. 

Perhaps  the  emotional  and  ethical  intensity 
of  his  nature,  what  we  might  call  the  martial 
quality  of  the  man,  is  mostly  recognized  in  his 
style.  It  is  the  language  of  a  soul  keyed  to  the 
highest  pitch  of  intensity.  The  opening  sen- 
tences of  his  discourse  were  deliberate,  reflective, 
and  discriminative,  speaking  tranquillity  to  the 
mind,  and  awakening  mental  interest  in  the 
truth  in  hand.  The  closing  of  the  sermon  was 
shot  through,  as  with  a  flame  of  moral  and 
emotional  passion  that  was  almost  over- 
whelming. It  was  the  vocabulary  and  syntax  of 
consecrated  energy.  It  was  the  voice  of  a  prophet 
who    was    straitened    within    himself    till    his 

18 


Ufiited  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

message  was  given  and  his  mission  accomplished. 
"Every  passion  of  his  soul  was  expressed,  from 
the  more  tranquil  to  the  intensely  agitated; 
from  the  tears  of  passion  and  grief  for  ruined 
sinners,  to  the  glowing  emotions  of  joy  and 
triumph  through  Christ;  from  the  hallowed  in- 
dignation to  transporting  complacency."  He 
spent  a  winter  in  New  York  City,  during  which 
time  he  was  invited  tO'  speak  in  some  of  the 
leading  pulpits  of  the  metropolis.  "Had  rest 
been  his  object,  he  might  have  been  settled 
there  in  a  very  desirable  living,  which  was 
proffered  him." 

Mr.  Hoffman  possessed  all  the  elements  of  a 
great  evangelist,  and  he  used  them  most  suc- 
cessfully. One  of  his  converts,  who  subse- 
quently rose  to  prominence  as  a  business  man, 
gives  the  following  story,  which  illustrates  his 
power:  "Previous  to  my  conversion  I  opposed 
the  Church  in  every  possible  way.  Nothing 
seemed  to  please  me  more  than  to  disturb  re- 
ligious gatherings.  I  went  to  the  meeting  in 
which  I  was  converted  with  something  of  the 
same  spirit  with  which  Saul  of  Tarsus  went  to 
Damascus.  I  organized  a  company  of  my  com 
panions  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  up  the 
camp-meeting.  Near  the  camp  we  halted,  and 
divided  into  three  bands,  lest  by  going  together 
suspicion  might  be  aroused.  By  some  misun- 
derstanding I  became  separated  from  my  com- 
panions, and,  the  night  being  dark,  failed  to 
find  them.    Not  content  to  remain  in  the  woods 

19 


Our  Heroes,  or 

alone,  I  went  into  camp  and  lingered  for  a  few 
minutes  by  a  fire-stand ;  but  feeling  that  I  might 
be  identified,  I  moved  into  the  shadow  and  sat 
down,  with  my  back  against  a  beech  tree.  The 
meeting  was  very  quiet,  the  preacher  dull  and 
uninteresting,  and  I  soon  dropped  asleep.  Soon 
after  the  voice  of  the  first  speaker  ceased,  I 
awoke,  and  observed  that  most  of  the  congre- 
gation, like  myself,  had  been  taking  a  nap. 
Suddenly  a  tall  man  arose,  who  j)roved  to  be 
Joseph  Hoffman,  and,  stepping  to  the  front  of 
the  platform,  he  said  in  a  clear  voice,  'I  have  been 
shaking  for  the  last  half  hour  with  the  ague; 
but  now,  thank  God,  it  is  gone.'  In  a  few  minutes 
he  had  so  completely  possesed  me  that  I  became 
entirely  lost  to  my  surroundings,  and  found  my- 
self standing  near  the  pulpit,  looking  up  into  the 
speaker's  face.  I  was  in  a  new  world.  Around 
me  lay  a  number  of  my  companions,  some  of 
them  as  dead  men,  others  bewailing  their  past 
lives  and  pleading  for  mercy,  while  the  faces  of 
the  people  were  radiant  with  a  glory  that  I  had 
never  seen,  and  it  was  not  until  the  gray  dawn 
of  the  morning  that  the  people  left  to  seek  rest." 

The  following  illustration  of  his  dauntless 
courage  and  unyielding  faithfulness  as  a  min- 
ister is  given  by  Dr.  William  McKee : 

"At  a  great  meeting  held  in  a  region  where 
prejudices  prevailed  against  religious  excite- 
ment, several  persons  were  deeply  convicted, 
one  of  whom  was  the  wife  of  a  highly  respect- 
able clergyman.    This  incident  caused  much  dis- 

20 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

pleasure  with  the  friends  of  the  penitents, 
wounding,  as  they  thought,  their  respectability. 
One  Sabbath  morning  after  the  audience  had 
assembled,  and  the  service  was  about  to  com- 
mence, eight  or  ten  men  and  among  them  a 
venerable  father,  came  forward  and  requested 
Mr.  Hoffman,  who  was  to  preach,  to  be  cautious 
hoio  he  i>reached;  that  some  had  been  alarmed 
the  day  previous,  and  if  any  one  should  be 
further  alarmed  he  must  cease  preaching  and 
quiet  the  people.  If  he  refused  tO'  do  this,  they 
had  vowed  the  meeting  should  not  proceed,  as 
they  were  good  Christians  and  not  heathens. 
They  charged  him  to  take  heed  to  their  words. 
He  had  not  proceeded  far  until  many  were 
bathed  in  tears,  and  cried  aloud  for  mercy.  The 
men  arose  to  their  feet  trembling  with  anger, 
but  Mr.  Hoffman  spoke  the  faster  and  louder. 
The  scalpel  of  truth  was  thrust  deeper  and  deeper 
into  the  wounded  heart  until  the  disturbing 
forces  of  the  moral  system  were  laid  bare.  Then 
came  the  balm  of  Calvary's  Victim^ — the  blood 
that  cleanseth  from  all  sin.  The  old  gentleman 
waved  his  strong  arm  toward  the  preacher,  and 
while  in  the  act,  a  young  man  fell  at  his  feet 
shrieking,  'O  father,  pray!  O  father,  pray!' 
He  attempted  to  flee,  but  his  son  held  him, 
saying,  ^O  father,  don't  go — stay— pray.'  The 
Pharisee  was  conquered.  The  word  of  the  Lord 
had  its  course  and  was  glorified.  It  was  the 
work  of  God.     Who  could  resist  it?" 

21 


Our  Heroes,  or 

A  further  illustration  of  his  manner  of  preach- 
ing is  given  by  Rev.  Mr.  Spayth,  who  knew 
him  well  in  the  days  of  his  greatest  strength : 
"At  a  quarterly  meeting  held  at  John  Stickler's, 
in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1817, 
Joseph  Hoffman  preached  from  Isaiah  1 :  18, 
19,  20.  While  dwelling  upon  the  character  of 
sin  staining  the  soul  in  all  its  parts,  the  audience 
listened  with  attention,  and  were  filled  with 
joy,  for  his  speech  distilled  as  the  dew  and  as 
the  small  rain  upon  the  tender  grass.  But 
when  the  conditions  were  presented,  and  the 
threatenings  of  insulted  justice  introduced,  the 
feeling  became  intense.  The  soul  stained  with 
sin,  which  added  the  crime  of  rebellion  against 
Jehovah,  was  brought  into  the  presence  of  the 
lawgiver,  and  as  he  reached  the  last  verse  of 
the  text,  'If  ye  refuse  and  rebel,  ye  shall  be 
devoured  by  the  sword,  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  it,'  his  voice  rose  with  the 
grandeur  and  solemnity  of  the  theme,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  the  sword  were  actually  drawn. 
'What!'  cried  he,  'rebel,  and  there  the  sword!' 
Sinners  were  paralyzed  with  fear,  as  if  they  were 
waiting  for  the  blow.  The  preacher  paused, 
and,  looking  up,  began  to  pray:  'O  Lord,  spare 
these  people;  although  their  sins  be  as  scarlet 
and  crimson,  in  the  fountain  that  was  opened 
for  sin  and  uncleanness,  wash  them  and  make 
them  white  as  snow.'  The  reader  can  well 
imagine  how  well  prepared  his  sin-stricken 
audience  was  to  follow  him  in  his  prayer." 

22 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Mr.  Hoffman  was  a  master  in  controlling 
disturbing  elements.  In  his  day  church-houses 
were  scarce,  and  the  large  meetings  during  the 
summer  season  were  held  in  the  groves.  He 
was  absolutely  fearless,  and  when  a  kindly 
appeal  failed  to  command  order,  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  resort  to  other  methods,  as  the  fol- 
lowing incident,  told  by  an  aged  minister  of 
Miami  Conference,  shows :  "At  a  camp-meeting 
near  Lancaster,  Ohio,  a  young  man  a  few  feet 
in  front  of  the  pulpit  persisted  in  smoking  a 
cigar  just  at  the  opening  of  one  of  the  public 
services.  Mr.  Hoffman  politely  requested  him 
to  desist.  To  this  he  paid  no  attention.  Again 
Mr.  Hoffman  informed  him  that  the  rules  of 
the  camp  forbade  smoking  inside  the  square,  and 
expressed  the  hope  that  he  would  desist.  Still 
the  young  man  puffed  away  as  though  he  had  not 
heard  a  single  word  that  was  said  to  him.  This 
was  too  much;  Mr.  Hoffman  seized  the 
cigar  and  threw  it  violently  on  the  ground  and 
rubbed  it  in  the  dust  with  his  foot.  As  he 
did  this,  he  exclaimed  in  a  low  tone:  'There, 
if  you  have  no  sense  I  will  teach  you  some.' 
The  young  fellow  eyed  the  stalwart  preacher 
from  head  to  foot.  His  look  was  met  by  a 
withering  glance  from  Mr.  Hoffman,  and  the 
young  man,  much  disgusted,  retired  from  the 
scene." 

At  a  distance  Bishop  Hoffman  seemed  brusque 
and  cold,  but  at  close  range  he  was  the  most 
companionable  of  men,  abounding  in  good  will, 

23 


Our  Heroes,  or 

wit,  and  geniality.  He  was  easy  of  approach, 
and  after  retiring  from  the  more  active  work, 
he  was  considered  one  of  the  best  counsellors 
of  the  denomination.  His  home  was  one  of 
piety.  His  arduous  work  as  a  minister  did  not 
cause  him  to  forget  the  religion  of  his  own 
household.  There  the  family  altar  was  main- 
tained. From  childhood  his  children  were 
taught  the  holy  Scriptures.  As  a  result,  five  of 
his  eight  sons  entered  the  ministry. 

The  years  of  his  itinerant  life  included  long 
and  perilous  missionary  journeys,  both  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  These  long  cam- 
paigns resulted  in  the  salvation  of  multitudes 
of  souls.  Many  organizations  and  churches 
followed  in  his  wake;  but,  like  many  another 
of  those  early  preachers,  Whitefleld  not  excepted, 
he  did  not  carefully  garner  his  converts,  and 
much  of  the  results  of  his  work  was  reaped  by 
other  churches  rather  than  his  own. 

The  climax  to  the  ministry  of  this  wonderful 
man  came  when  he  gave  his  last  message  to 
the  Miami  Conference.  In  his  own  forceful 
way,  he  urged  the  ministers  to  fidelity  in  the 
Master's  service.  The  address  made  a,  profound 
impression.  When  he  expressed  the  belief  that 
he  was  in  their  presence  as  a.  conference  for  the 
last  time,  every  heart  was  melted,  and  many 
wept  aloud.  Those  of  the  conference  yet  living 
who  were  present  concur  in  saying  that  it  was 
one  of  the  most  impressive  scenes  that  had  ever 
been  witnessed     in     the  conference.     The  pre- 

24 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

monition  of  the  Bishop  proved  to  be  correct.  It 
was  the  last  time  his  voice  was  ever  heard  in 
the  sessions  of  the  conference.  The  closing  years 
of  his  life  were  spent  in  Euphemia,  Ohio.  "In 
the  summer  of  1856,  Otterbein  Chapel,  near 
Eldorado,  had  been  rebuilt,  and,  in  connection 
with  the  dedication  service,  a  quarterly  meeting 
was  to  be  held,  beginning  on  the  eighth  day  of 
November;  and  expectation  was  on  tiptoe,  for 
it  had  been  announced  that  Bishop  Hoffman 
would  be  there  and  preach  the  first  sermon.  But 
before  he  left  his  home  that  morning,  without 
any  previous  illness,  the  chariots  of  Israel  and 
the  horsemen  thereof,  came  along,  and  the  man 
of  God,  like  Elijah,  dropped  the  mantle  which 
he  had  worn  so  long  and  so  worthily,  and  as- 
cended the  heights  of  glory." 

This  venerable  servant  of  God  was  seventy- 
six  years  of  age  when  the  chariot  came.  For 
more  than  a  half  century  he  had  been  a  Chris- 
tian minister.  He  was  a  worthy  exemplar  of 
Him  who,  though  rich,  became  poor,  and  was 
found  in  fashion  like  a  servant,  that  he  might 
become  the  servant  of  men.  Characters  like  this 
cannot  die.  The  very  memory  of  such  must 
draw  to  itself  more  and  more  the  veneration, 
the  praise,  and  the  honor  of  mankind. 


25 


CHAPTER  II. 

HENRY  GEORGE  SPAYTH. 

Our  Pioneer  Historian. 

In  that  original  group  of  men  who  founded 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  some  twenty -five 
or  fifty  in  number,  each  called  of  God  to  high 
and  heroic  service,  there  was  an  interesting  dis- 
play of  apostolic  spirit,  and  also  a  remarkable 
adaptation  to  pioneer  work.  Each  one  was 
niched  in  some  noble  mold  to  the  advantage 
of  that  great  movement,  and  rendered  a  service 
worthy  to  make  his  name  historic.  That  they 
were  participants  in  a  divine  plan  is  confirmed 
by  the  abiding  character  of  their  work,  of  which 
Otterbein  was  convinced  and  rejoiced  over  at 
the  close  of  his  life,  and  which  now  appears  in 
the  substantial  growth  and  increasing  efficiency 
of  the  denomination. 

Among  these  noble  founders  of  our  Zion  whose 
diversity  of  gifts  furnished  an  equipment  for 
service  akin  to  that  of  the  Twelve,  stands  the 
name  of  Henry  George  Spayth,  to  whose  dis- 
tinguished services  as  pioneer  missionary  and 
church  historian  this  chapter  is  devoted. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  ministers  of  the  de- 
nomination whose  message  was  given  both  in 

26 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

the  English  and  the  German  tongue,  and  who  be- 
lieved that  the  Church's  largest  opportunity 
was  with  the  English-speaking  people.  When 
but  a  young  man  he  translated  the  records  of 
the  early  councils  of  the  Church  from  the 
German  into  the  English,  and  advocated  the 
organization  of  churches  in  English  commun- 
ities where  opportunity  afforded.  The  mag- 
nitude of  his  work  and  the  measure  of  his 
responsibilities  we  cannot  calculate,  but  God 
made  him  sufficient  for  these  things,  and  his  re- 
sponse to  his  obligations  and  opportunities  was 
faithful  and  adequate. 

In  a  study  of  the  comparative  growth  of 
American  churches  during  the  early  years  of  the 
Republic,  account  must  be  taken  of  the  fact 
that  the  intense  earnestness  and  unexcelled 
activity  and  efl&ciency  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  in  evangelistic  work  was  given  almost 
exclusively  to  the  promotion  of  the  general  re- 
ligious movement  of  the  times,  with  little,  or 
perhaps  no,  thought  of  organizing  and  building 
a  great  denomination.  Early  in  the  nation's 
history  a  home  missionary  society  was  organized 
by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  "for  the 
purpose  of  carrying  the  light  of  evangelical  re- 
ligion to  every  corner  of  our  inhabited  country, 
whether  Christian  or  savage,  and  of  organizing 
and  establishing  churches  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  this  Western  Hemisphere."  To 
the  promotion  of  this  enterprise  United  Breth- 
renism  contributed    largely  for    a    third    of    a 

27 


Our  Heroes,  or 

century.  Therefore,  the  power  and  influence 
of  the  Church  as  an  arm  of  American  Protes- 
tantism cannot  be  measured  justly  by  its  com- 
pairative  numerical  growth  with  some  other 
denominations. 

Account  must  also  be  taken  of  the  fact  that 
the  call  of  the  Church  was  originally  tO'  the 
German-speaking  people,  and  that  the  German 
c  ntinued  to  be  the  predominant  language  in 
the  General  Conference  until  1833.  In  the  year 
1759 — seven  years  after  Otterbein  had  begun  his 
missionary  work  in  America,  and  eight  years 
before  our  denominational  Pentecost  —  the 
great  battle  was  fought  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham 
at  Quebec,  which  decided  that  English  should 
be  the  dominant  language  on  the  continent  of 
America!,  and  that  Protestantism  should  mould 
the  religious  thought  of  the  new  world.  At  the 
period  of  Bishop  Otterbein's  death,  and  for 
several  years  thereafter,  while  the  German  ele- 
ment in  the  American  States  was  constantly 
giving  way  to  the  English,  it  received  but  meager 
reinforcements  from  Europe.  The  entire  number 
of  immigrants  to  our  shores  from  all  the  coun- 
tries of  Europe  between  1785  and  1820  has  been 
estimated  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 
Of  this  number  probably  less  than  fifty  thousand 
were  Germans.  The  language  of  the  law,  the 
government,  the  literature,  and  the  schools  be- 
ing English;  rapid  encroachments  upon  the 
German  tongue,  even  in  the  largest  German 
settlements,  were  inevitable. 

28 


United  Brethren  Hoine  Missionaries 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  understood  why 
there  was  a  demand  in  almost  every  place 
for  preaching  in  the  English  language,  and  this 
demand  was  especially  urgent  in  those  com- 
munities where  a  new  religious  life  had  been 
awakened  by  United  Brethren  evangelists. 
"Children  of  the  very  best  United  Brethren 
families,"  says  John  Lawrence,  "some  of  them 
sons  of  United  Brethren  ministers,  having  re- 
ceived an  English  education  and  desiring  to  hear 
preaching  in  the  English  language,  moved  with 
the  current  and  found  church  homes  elsewhere. 
Furthermore,  in  almost  every  coramunitj^  where 
the  German  fathers  held  revivals  and  started 
churches,  persons  w^ere  awakened  and  converted 
who  could  understand  the  German  language  but 
imperfectly,  or  who  could  not  understand  it  at 
all,  and  such  persons  would  naturally  be  very 
desirous,  on  their  own  account,  and  for  the 
sake  of  their  children  and  English-speaking 
neighbors,  to  secure  preaching  in  the  English 
language."  English  evangelists,  under  the 
direction  of  Bishop  Asbury,  were  prepared  to 
respond  to  every  call  and  to  make  the  best  use 
of  every  opportunity.  It  is  fair  to  say  that, 
had  the  relations  of  Otterbein  and  Asbury  been 
changed  as  to  language  and  country,  the  rel- 
ative strength  of  the  two  churches  would  be 
the  reverse  of  what  it  is  to-day. 

Moreover,  in  making  comparisons,  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  United  Brethren  Church 
is  an  American  product,  and  that  its  recruits 

29 


Our  Heroes,  or 

have  been  gathered  exclusively  from  the  home 
field.  Unlike  some  of  the  large  denominations, 
our  beloved  Zion  has,  at  no  time  in  her  heroic, 
historic  past,  been  inspired  and  cheered  on  by 
reinforcements  from  the  mother  country.  It 
may  be  stated  without  successful  contradiction, 
that  with  but  one  exception,  there  is  no  church 
in  America  larger  than  our  own  that  w^as  not, 
during  the  early  history  of  its  progress,  fed  by 
the  tides  of  immigration  more  largely  than  it  was 
nourished  by  material  it  was  able  to  appropriate 
in  the  home  field. 

While  the  fathers  had  no  thought  of  founding 
a  denomination,  they  were,  at  the  same  time, 
unconsciously  laying  the  lines  of  organized 
church  life.  The  time  finally  arrived  when  the 
divine  will  and  plan  concerning  the  great  re- 
ligious movement  with  which  they  were 
identified  became  manifestly  clear.  A  new  era 
of  progress  dawned  under  the  leadership  of 
Bishop  Newcomer,  the  "re-founder"  of  the 
Church.  English  ministers  were  discovered  and 
added  to  the  ranks  in  increasing  numbers  and 
the  work  of  organizing  the  scattered  forces  wa;^ 
begun.  Soon  after  the  General  Conference  of 
1815  the  Church  began  to  display  an  unpre- 
cedented vigor  and  life,  which  soon  established 
its  right  to  a  place  among  the  organized  forces 
of  American  Protestantism.  In  planning  and 
carrying  forw^ard  the  new  campaign  of  con- 
structive denominational  work,  Henry  George 
Spayth  deserves  special  recognition. 

30 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

He  was  born  in  Wurttemburg,  Germany,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1788.  Three  years  later  he  emigrated 
tO'  America,  with  his  parents,  locating,  most 
probably,  in  Washington  County,  Maryland. 
Until  the  beginning  of  his  distinguished  career 
as  minister  and  writer,  his  history  is  as  obscure 
as  that  of  the  prophet  Elijah.  It  is  fair  to 
presume,  however,  that  he  was  favored  with  pious 
parental  training.  The  inference  is  that  he  was 
won  to  Christ  and  the  Christian  ministry  by 
the  Eev.  George  Adam  Geeting,  the  third  mem- 
ber of  that  illustrious  trio,  whose  lives  and  work 
constituted  the  first  period  of  United  Brethren 
history. 

The  name  of  Mr.  Spayth  first  appears  on  the 
roll  of  ministers  of  the  Eastern  Conference  in 
1812,  the  session  for  that  year  being  held  at  the 
home  of  Kev.  Mr.  Geeting  at  Antietam,  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Maryland.  His  first  work  as  a 
minister  was  rendered  in  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia. The  minutes  of  that  conference  state 
that  "he  and  Henry  Heistand  shall  this  year 
travel  and  preach  on  our  circuit."  The  territory 
referred  to  included  parts  of  Maryland  and 
Virginia.  The  same  record  says :  "He  sliall 
make  a  visit  to  Virginia  in  the  month  of  No- 
vember, and  Lawrence  Eberhart  shall  take 
charge  of  his  circuit."  It  would  appear  that 
the  work  was  subsequently  divided,  so  that  his 
entire  services  for  that  year  were  given  to  the 
Virginia  territory.  During  a  visit,  in  1870,  to 
the    offices    of    the      Relgious    Telescope,    Mr. 

31 


Our  Heroes^  or 

Spayth,  on  being  interviewed  by  the  editor, 
stated  that  his  first  charge  was  in  Virginia. 
By  appointment  of  the  conference  of  1813,  which 
convened  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania, 
his  field  for  that  year  included  Washington  and 
Frederick  Counties,  in  Maryland.  At  the  con- 
ference of  1814,  which  was  held  in  Hagerstown, 
Maryland,  he  was  assigned  to  Rockingham 
circuit  in  Virginia:  The  territory  included  a 
large  portion  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and 
also  a  large  part  of  the  mountain  region  on  the 
west.  In  1815  he  removed  to  Westmoreland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  two  years  later  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  of  the  Muskingum 
Conference.  As  the  old  veteran  of  the  cross 
recalled  to  the  editor  of  the  Telescope  some  of 
the  experiences  of  those  three  years  of  pioneer 
missionary  work  in  the  "mother  conference,'' 
his  eyes  were  often  flooded  with  tears — tender 
memories  were  awakened  and  the  tides  of  feeling 
were  quickened.  They  were  years  of  privation 
and  hardships,  but  of  blessing  and  victory. 
Each  year's  toil  was  crowned  with  the  salvation 
of  more  than  a  hundred  souls. 

The  most  noted  event  in  the  early  history  of 
the  legislative  work  of  the  denomination  was 
that  of  its  first  General  Conference,  which  con- 
vened on  the  sixth  of  June,  1815,  when  sl  dis- 
cipline providing  rules  and  regulations  for  the 
government  of  the  Church  was  adopted.  The 
year  was  also  made  memorable  in  our  national 
history  by  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  peace 

32 


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HENRY    GEORGE    SPAYTH 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain. 
The  personnel  of  the  conference  was  made  up  of 
representatives  from  Virginia,  Maryland,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Ohio.  Mr.  Spayth  was  one  of  the 
delegates  from  Virginiai, 

The  Americanism  of  the  Church  in  that  early 
day  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  the  entire  member- 
ship was  asked  to  give  expression  to  its  will  in 
the  selection  of  representatives  to  its  legislative 
body.  The  same  principle  of  recognizing  the 
rights  of  the  individual  in  the  government  of 
the  Church  has  been  protected  by  its  constitu- 
tion from  that  time  until  the  present. 

The  place  of  the  meeting  was  an  humble  log 
house,  known  as  "John  Bonnet's  Schoolhouse," 
situated  about  one  mile  east  of  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  old  turnpike  road  leading 
over  the  Alleghenies.  The  surrounding  country 
presents  a  picturesque  view  of  landscape,  with 
a  sublime  setting  of  mountains.  "In  this  se- 
cluded spot,  far  from  the  great  city  with  its 
lofty  spires  and  deep-toned  bells,  its  daily  press 
and  ubiquitous  reporters,  from  telegraph  wires, 
then  undreamed  of,  from  all  the  imposing  cir- 
cumstances so  often  attending  important  re- 
ligious assemblies,  this  body  of  ministers  met 
to  discharge  the  grave  trust  committed  to  them." 
Fourteen  of  the  twenty  delegates  elected  were 
present.  A  glance  into  that  humble  council- 
chamber  presents  an  interesting  scene.  They 
were  men  of  humble  appearance.  "None  were 
distinguished  for  learning,  none  bore  titles  as 

33 


Our  Heroes,  or 

doctors  of  divinity,  or  were  known  to  literature, 
or  eminent  in  smj  special  sense  as  men  recognize 
eminence."  Not  widely  different,  indeed,  were 
they  from  that  company  of  plain  toilers  whom 
Jesus  gathered  about  him,  and  to  whom  he  com- 
mitted the  building  of  the  kingdom  after  his 
departure.  They  were  men  of  strong  minds, 
giant  hearts,  and  stalwart  frames.  They  were 
marked  by  a  mighty  faith.  They  knew  God  and 
were  well  versed  in  the  Scriptures.  Moreover, 
they  had  been  for  several  years  under  the 
training  of  the  learned  Otterbein,  and  under 
liis  instruction  and  superintendency  they  had 
been  introduced  into  the  Christian  ministry. 

In  the  organization  of  the  conference.  Chris- 
tian Newcomer,  of  Maryland,  and  Andrew 
Zeller,  of  Ohio,  were  elected  to  preside  over  its 
sessions.  Henry  George  Spayth  and  Jacob 
Baulus  were  honored  by  being  chosen  secretar- 
ies of  the  conference.  At  this  time  Mr.  Spayth 
was  twenty-seven  years  of  age.  He  was  en- 
dowed with  superior  gifts,  especially  in  matters 
of  counsel.  His  influence  upon  the  conference 
was  not  excelled  by  that  of  any  other  delegate. 
The  reader  will  remember  the  quotation  from 
his  history  respecting  the  contentions  which 
darkened  the  early  sessions  of  the  conference, 
and  also  that,  after  a  season  of  fervent  prayer, 
the  clouds  were  dispersed  and  harmony  reigned 
from  that  hour  forward  to  the  end.  Mr. 
Spayth  modestly  omits  to  speak  of  the  part  he 
himself  performed  in  the  bringing  about  of  a 

34 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

better  feeling.  Mr.  Lawrence  mentions  that, 
"at  the  moment  when  a  rupture  in  that  body 
seemed  inevitable,  and  the  powers  of  darkness 
were  ready  to  shout  a  victory,  Mr.  Spayth  arose 
and  delivered  an  address  which,  with  the  prayer- 
meeting  that  followed,  resulted  in  a  complete 
restoration  of  good  feeling  and  a  most  happy 
termination  of  the  difficulties."  In  subsequent 
church  councils  there  were  times  when  he  ex- 
celled in  his  power  to  quell  storms  and  bring 
together  diverging  factions.  His  poise,  diplom- 
acy, logic,  and  eloquence  combined  in  giving 
him  almost  irresistible  power  over  a  conference. 
The  absence  of  three  of  the  great  leaders, 
who  had  recently  been  called  from  labor  to 
reward,  caused  a  shadow  to  fall  upon  the  first 
session  of  the  conference.  The  loss  of  their 
counsel  and  support  was  keenly  felt.  Great  and 
good  men,  indeed,  were  they  who  were  called 
to  take  their  places,  but  all  missed  the  majestic 
personality  of  Otterbein,  the  saintly  presence 
of  Boehm,  and  the  majestic  power  of  the  elo- 
quent Geeting.  There  had  been  since  their 
departure  a  widespread  feeling  of  doubt  as  to 
whether  the  Church  would  be  able  to  hold  per- 
manently together.  Its  government  had 
hitherto  derived  its  strength  from  those  leaders. 
No  discipline  had  been  issued  in  printed  form. 
Again  it  was  demonstrated  that  "God  buries 
the  workmen  but  carries  on  the  work."  No 
great  cause  dies  with  its  representatives.  That 
which  is  of  God  abides.     At  the  funeral  of  a 

35 


Our  Heroes,  or 

distinguished  Methodist  churchman,  a  lugxi- 
brious  orator  lamented,  "The  sun  of  Methodism 
is  set."  A  sane  voice  shouted  from  the  audience, 
"Thank  God,  that  is  not  true."  In  the  provi- 
dence of  God  this  conference  marked  the 
beginning'  of  an  era  of  new  denominational  life 
and  influence.  The  real  work  of  crystalizing 
and  organizing  the  disconnected  elements  was 
now  begun,  and  these  fourteen  stalwart  men  of 
God  went  down  from  that  mount  of  blessing 
and  vision  to  address  themselves  to  their  work 
with  new  assurance  as  to  the  future. 

In  the  year  1815,  as  previously  stated,  Mr. 
Spayth  located  near  Mount  Pleasant,  in  West- 
moreland County,  Pennsylvania.  The  same 
year  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nis- 
wonger,  of  Virginia,  a  member  of  one  of  the 
first  and  most  noted  United  Brethren  families 
of  the  State.  Two  years  later  a  new  conference 
was  formed  called  the  Muskingum  Conference, 
including  that  portion  of  Ohio  which  lies  east 
and  west  of  the  Muskingum  River  and  Wash- 
ington and  Westmoreland  Counties  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  probably  united  with  the 
conference  at  its  organization,  for  as  early  as 
1821  he  served  it  as  presiding  elder  with  great 
faithfulness  and  success.  His  name,  however, 
does  not  appear  with  the  six  charter  members 
named  by  Mr.  Lawrence  in  his  history.  These 
were  chiefly  local  preachers.  In  1820  three 
itinerants  and  three  fields  of  labor  were  re- 
ported.    Local   ministers    were    supplementing 

36 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

the  work  of  these  itinerants.  Hence,  the  duties 
of  a  presiding  elder  would  require  frequent  and 
long  journeys,  with  much  labor  and  but  little 
compensation. 

In  our  day  we  can  scarcely  appreciate  the 
privations  and  perils  of  the  pioneer  missionary 
in  the  Western  Reserve  country.  The  settle- 
ments, composed  of  a  few  families,  were 
scattered  in  various  parts  of  that  great  terri- 
tory, but  the  zeal  and  enthusiasm  upon  the  part 
of  the  home  missionary  never  faltered  as  he 
braved  the  dangers  and  perils  of  the  long  jour- 
neys through  the  swamps  and  dense  forests,  in 
order  to  bear  the  message  of  salvation  to  those 
who  were  deprived  of  it. 

From  the  pen  of  James  B.  Finly,  a  noted 
missionary  of  another  denomination  in  the 
Western  Reserve  country  during  those  early 
times,  we  have  the  following:  "I  entered  upon 
this  work  with  great  fear  and  trembling.  No- 
where in  all  the  round  could  I  find  a  place  for 
my  family  to  live,  and  I  was  driven  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  building  a  cabin.  After  getting  it 
ready  for  occupancy,  I  wrote  to  my  father,  re- 
questinjT  him  to  bring  my  family,  and,  after  a 
separation  of  four  months,  we  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  again.  We  took  possession  of  our 
humble  cabin,  12  x  14  feet,  which  proved 
sufficiently  capacious,  as  we  had  nothing  but  a 
bed  and  some  wearing  apparel.  My  funds  being 
all  exhausted,  I  sold  the  boots  off  my  feet  to 
purchase  provisions  with,  and,  after  making  all 

37 


Our  Heroes,  or 

the  preparation  that  I  could  to  render  my 
family  comfortable,  started  out  again  upon  my 
circuit,  to  be  absent  four  weeks.  I  traveled  and 
preached  night  and  day.  Many  times  I  suffered 
from  hunger  and  cold,  and  was  always  without 
those  comforts  that  are  now  enjoyed  by  travel- 
ing preachers." 

Mr.  Spayth  well  remarks  that  those  were  days 
that  tried  men's  souls.  The  annual  conference 
was  to  those  pioneer  ministers  a  great  occasion. 
With  worn  and  tattered  garments,  but  happy 
and  united  in  prayer  and  purpose,  these  heroes 
toiled,  and  when;  they  met  at  their  annual  gath- 
erings they  embraced  each  other;  and  they  never 
separated  at  those  sessions  without  weeping, 

Mr.  Spayth,  as  already  stated,  was  a  member 
of  the  First  General  Conference.  He  was 
further  honored  by  being  returned  to  six  sub- 
sequent sessions,  namely,  the  second,  fourth, 
sixth,  eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth.  The  second 
convened  in  1817  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  conference  ordered  that  a  trans- 
lation be  made  of  the  revised  Discipline  into 
English,  and  that  one  hundred  copies  be  printed 
in  that  tongue.  The  fourth  was  held  in  Tus- 
carawas County,  Ohio,  in  1825.  The  sixth 
convened  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  in  1833. 
This  conference  pronounced  in  favor  of  increas- 
ing the  salaries  of  itinerant  preachers,  and  also 
took  definite  steps  toward  establishing  a  pub- 
lishing house.  The  eighth  met  in  Dresback's 
Church,  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  in  1841.     This 

38 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

conference  adopted  the  constitution  which  had 
been  before  the  Church  for  several  years.  The 
ninth  met  in  Circleville,  Ohio,  in  1845.  At  this 
conference  it  was  determined  that  the  Telescope 
should  be  issued  weekly.  \,  The  tenth  met  in 
Germantown,  Ohio,  in  1849.  Possessing  great 
strength  of  character  as  well  as  sound  judgment, 
Mr.  Spayth  exerted  much  influence  in  these 
successive  conferences,  and  it  has  been  remarked 
of  him  that  "perhaps  few  men  did  more  to  shape 
the  polity  of  the  Church  from  1815  to  1845,  a 
period  of  thirty  years." 

At  the  second  session  of  the  Sandusky  Con- 
ference, held  in  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  in  1835, 
Mr.  Spayth  was  received  on  transfer,  and  re- 
mained ai  member  of  this  conference  until  his 
death.  At  this  time  there  was  not  a  church 
house  in  the  bounds  of  the  conference,  and  for 
several  years  conferences  and  preaching  services 
were  held  in  private  homes  or  in  schoolhouses. 
This  was  as  much  of  a  wilderness  as  the  section 
he  had  just  left.  The  conferences  were  separa- 
ted by  a  distance  of  more  than  one  hundred 
miles,  much  of  it  a  dense  wilderness.  The 
journey  was  made  on  horseback  or  on  the  old- 
fashioned  stage  coach,  which  frepuently  made 
but  ten  or  twelve  miles  per  day.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  this  was  in  the  age  before  rail- 
roads made  travel  quite  an  ease,  and  that  the 
work  of  an  itinerant  stretched  over  hundreds  of 
miles,  it  will  be  perceived  that  these  were 
heroic  days  for  the  missionary  enterprise.     In 

39 


Our  Heroes,  or 

1836  Mr.  Spayth  assisted  in  a  camp-meeting 
near  the  Auglaize  River,  ten  miles  west  of 
Findlay,  at  a  place  which,  seven  years  before, 
was  a  total  wilderness,  over  which  only  the  red 
man  roamed.  That  meeting  under  the  blessing 
of  God  laid  the  foundations  for  many  of  the 
churches  now  in  Sandusky  Conference.  To 
form  a  correct  estimate  of  the  labors  of  this 
hero  of  the  cross  during  these  years,  the  reader 
must  take  into  account  the  size  of  the  missions 
which  he  traveled  and  the  character  of  the 
country  through  which  he  passed,  sometimes  on 
horseback  and  not  infrequently  on  foot.  The 
Black  Swamp  country,  though  now  intersected 
with  railroads  and  thriving  villages,  was  a 
dreadful  country  for  an  itinerant  in  those  days. 
Mr.  Spayth  was  the  chairman  of  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  General  Conference  of  1845 
to  prepare  a  revised  hymnbook  for  use 
in  the  churches.  The  task  was  performed  with 
excellent  taste.  The  book  was  published  in  1849 
and  continued  in  use  until  1858.  The  chief 
work  of  his  life,  however,  and  that  by  means  of 
which  his  memory  will  be  longest  preserved, 
was  the  writing  of  the  first  history  of  the  De- 
nomination. To  this  task  he  was  asked  to  give 
himself  by  the  General  Conference  of  1845. 
Previous  efforts  to  obtain  such  a  work  had  been 
unsuccessful.  Although  he  was  peculiarly 
fitted  for  the  work  by  his  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  founders  of  the  Church,  and  by  his 
official    connection    with    its    legislation,    nev- 

40 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ertheless  the  task  was  a  difficult  one,  and 
was  undertaken  with  misgivings.  It  was  com- 
pleted, however,  and  the  history  issued  in  1851. 
Every  student  of  this  work  will  be  impressed 
with  its  great  value  as  an  early  and  Avorthy 
source  of  material  for  United  Brethren  history. 
It  is  the  groundwork  of  the  larger  histories  that 
have  been  written  in  more  recent  times.  The 
work  bears  the  marks  of  careful  investigation. 
It  proves  the  possession  on  his  part  not  only  of 
an  extensive  knowledge  of  the  subjects  treated, 
but  a  discriminating  grasp  of  the  causes  that 
led  up  to  the  founding  of  the  Church  and  its 
subsequent  development  during  the  early  part 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  If  this  distinguished 
servant  of  God  had  never  performed  any  other 
service  for  the  Church,  this  work  alone  would 
place  the  Denomination  under  lasting  obliga- 
tions to  him.  It  was  a  difficult  task,  requiring 
not  only  labor  and  patience,  but  also  a  dis- 
cerning mind  and  pious  heart. 

Those  who  were  acquainted  with  ]Mr.  Spayth 
in  the  prime  of  his  life  speak  of  his  preaching 
as  being  more  instructive  to  cultivated  hearers 
than  interesting  to  the  masses;  yet  he  was 
sometimes  very  eloquent.  His  sermons  were 
largely  devoted  to  the  fundamental  doctrines  of 
Christianity.  They  were  at  the  same  time  evan- 
gelical and  spiritual. 

He  was  a  strong  man  physically,  and  of  a 
commanding  presence.  He  had  a  genial  face, 
full,  broad,  and  usually  clean  shaven;  his  com- 

41 


Our  Heroes,  or 

plexion  fair,  his  eyes  gray  and  eloquent.  Upon 
his  countenance  were  marks  of  tenderness, 
shrewdness,  and  abounding  good  humor.  When 
a  friend  he  was  a  friend  for  life,  and  his  friend- 
ship grew  stronger  with  the  years.  Mr.  P.  J. 
Wilson,  an  aged  citizen  of  Tiffin,  Ohio,  who  was 
his  intimate  friend,  furnishes  us  the  following 
testimony :  "  I  heard  Rev.  Mr.  Spayth  preach  in 
Stone  Chapel,  near  Mellmore,  Ohio,  when  I  was 
a  mere  lad.  His  sermons  greatly  influenced  my 
young  life.  During  the  closing  years  of  his  life 
we  were  intimately  associated.  He  always  stood 
before  the  world  as  a  man  of  high  Christian 
character  and  strong  intellect.  He  possessed  a 
large  fund  of  general  knowledge  and  was  well 
versed  in  history.  He  was  also  a  man  of  fine 
business  judg-ment  and  ability.  He  was  my 
close  personal  friend  and  a  friend  of  my  family. 
When  we  had  sickness  in  our  home  he  visited 
us  as  a  pastor,  and  his  extensive  knowledge  of 
medicine  enabled  him  to  advise  wisely.  We 
still  rejoice  that  his  life  touched  ours  as  it  did. 
He  died  in  1873,  and  his  dear  wife  fifteen 
months  later;  and  I  had  the  honor  to  help  to 
bear  them  both  to  Greenlawn  Cemetery,  where 
they  rest  in  peace." 

At  the  time  of  his  death.  ]Mr.  Spayth  had  ad- 
vanced considerably  beyond  four-score  years  of 
age.  He  was  personally  acquainted  with  Bishop 
Otterbein  and  the  members  of  the  famous  con- 
ference of  1800,  and  he  lived  to  see  almost  every 
member  of  that  body  translated  before  him.    He 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

could  take  up  worthily  at  the  close  of  his  life 
the  words  of  the  great  Paul :  "I  have  fought  a 
good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept 
the  faith." 

Nohly  th}^  course  is  run — 

Splendor  is  round  it; 

Bravely  thy  fight  is  won — 

Victory  crowned  it. 

In  thy  warfare  of  heaven, 

Grown   old  and  hoary, 

Thou  art  like  the  summer  sun, 

Shrouded   in  glory. 


43 


CHAPTER  III. 

DANIEL  FUNKHOUSER. 

An  Early  Foundation-B iiilder  in  the  East. 

America  is  distinguished  from  all  other 
nations  in  that  the  pioneer  element  is  largely 
developed  in  her  entire  citizenship.  From  the 
first  settlements  established  on  the  coast  of  New 
England,  every  step  westward  has  been  marked 
by  the  progress  of  pioneer  life  and  honest 
endeavor. 

So  with  the  United  Brethren  Church.  Otter- 
bein  and  his  fellow-toilers  were  its  pioneers  in 
a  peculiar  sense  because  they  chiseled  out  its 
foundations,  and  reared,  at  least  in  outline,  the 
superstructure  which  was  later  to  be  perfected 
and  made  strong  in  all  its  parts.  Others,  follow- 
ing these  founders,  pushed  their  way,  decade  by 
decade,  toward  the  setting  sun,  and  so  became 
pioneers  in  opening  up  new  fields  of  operation, 
and  in  helping  to  blaze  the  way  for  the  onward 
march  of  all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  great  Church 
and  a  glorious  civilization. 

One  of  the  characters  who  figured  prominently 
and  most  efficiently  in  the  early  days  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church  in  southern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  especially  in  the  Cumberland  Valley, 
was  Daniel  Funkhouser.    But  little  is  said  about 

44 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

him  in  the  earlier  records  of  his  conference, 
partly  because  very  little  was  said  in  those  days 
about  any  one;  and  more  especially,  because  he 
was  unassuming,  and  in  no  sense  inclined  to 
make  himself  prominent  in  the  councils  of  the 
Church. 

His  birth  occurred  near  Strasburg,  Shenan- 
doah County,  Virginia,  February  18,  1809.  He 
was  of  German  extraction,  and  exhibited  in  a 
marked  degree  those  qualities  of  head  and  heart 
characteristic  of  a  worthy  ancestry. 

His  early  life  was  peculiarly  touched  by  a 
great  religious  refortnation  which  swept  through 
that  section  of  the  country.  United  Brethren 
and  Methodist  preachers  were  looked  upon  by 
many,  and  perhaps  by  the  masses  at  first,  as 
fanatics  and  impostors,  possessed  of  a  strange 
kind  of  power  calculated,  as  they  thought,  to 
destroy  the  peace  of  families,  and  the  tranquility 
of  whole  communities.  United  Brethren  held 
great  meetings  through  Virginia,  INIaryland,  and 
Pennsylvania,  and  multitudes  were  convicted 
under  their  trenchant  sermons,  and  thus  led  into 
a  life  of  joy  and  trust.  They  had  no  special 
program  mapped  out,  but  went  whithersoever 
the  Spirit  seemed  to  lead  them. 

The  cold,  lifeless  formalism  of  some  of  the 
older  churches  was  utterly  shattered  by  the 
spiritual  energy  and  converting  power  which 
accompanied  their  work.  Many  were  even  afraid 
to  invite  these  gospel  heralds  into  their  homes 

45 


Our  Heroes,  or 

lest  by  the  exercise  of  some  sort  of  bewitchery 
they  might  be  led  into  heresy,  or  something  as 
wicked,  and  thus  be  exposed  to  the  judgments  of 
heaven.  At  a  union  camp-meeting  a  minister  of 
another  communion  publicly  declared,  "I  wish 
God  would  banish  this  damnable  heresy  from  the 
face  of  the  earth,"  Such  Avere  the  feelings,  gen- 
erally, toward  them  and  their  preaching. 

But  a  different  sentiment  prevailed  in  the 
home  and  neighborhood  of  young  Funkhouser. 
United  Brethren  preachers  were  welcomed,  and 
not  spurned.  We  are  led  to  think  of  his  early 
life  as  closely  in  touch  with  the  founders  of  the 
Church.  Bishops  Newcomer,  Hoffman,  Erb,  and 
others,  were  seen  and  heard  by  him.  And  it  is 
possible  that  his  infant  eyes  were  permitted  to 
look  upon  the  great  Otterbein  who  lived  four 
years  after  Daniel's  birth.  We  may  further 
picture  him  as  listening  with  deepest  interest  to 
the  pious  conversation  of  these  holy  men,  and 
especially  to  their  recitals  of  service  and  sacri- 
fice, of  trials  and  triumphs.  He  tells  us  himself 
that  he  was  early  impressed  by  their  sermons. 
When  fourteen,  he  attended  a  camp-meeting 
which  led  to  his  conversion,  and  to  a  place  in 
the  membership  of  the  Church.  But  these  steps, 
though  fundamental,  were  only  preparatory  to 
a  larger  life  of  service  which  soon  opened  up 
before  him. 

Three  or  four  years  later  the  impression  came, 
strong  and  clear,  that  he  ought  to  preach,  but 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

like  so  many  others,  he  hesitated,  and  was  ready 
to  plead  ignorance  and  moral  unfitness.  Here  is 
his  experience  as  published  in  the  autobiography 
of  Rev.  Samuel  Huber,  a  fellow  laborer  in  the 
Lord : 

"In  the  year  1827,  while  I  was  plowing  in  the 
field,  I  heard  a  voice  calling  me  by  name.  I 
stopped  the  horses  thinking  some  one  was  want- 
ing to  inquire  the  road.  But  neither  seeing  nor 
hearing  any  person,  I  started  again.  In  a  little 
time  the  same  voice  was  repeated.  I  then 
thought  some  one  wanted  to  fool  me.  However, 
befoTe  making  another  start  I  heard  the  mys- 
terious call  the  third  time,  which  seemed  to  be 
just  above  me.  Answering  aloud  I  said,  'What 
do  you  want?'  The  reply  was,  'You  must  go  and 
preach  Jesus  to  the  people.'  After  some  reflec- 
tion I  said  aloud,  'This  I  cannot  do,'  and  went 
on  plowing.  The  circumstances  made  a  deep 
impression  on  my  mind  respecting  the  work  of 
the  ministry.  I  made  it  a  matter  of  prayer  that 
God  would  remove  these  impressions,  but  they 
continued  to  deepen."  But  he  was  slow  to  yield, 
and  the  victory  was  not  fully  won  until  after  a 
hard-fought  battle  which  extended  through  years 
of  doubt  and  misgivings. 

How  true  that  men  of  a  highly  sensitive 
nature,  of  fine  moral  fiber,  who  possess  a  deep 
sense  of  responsibility,  and  feel  most  keenly 
their  utter  unfitness  for  the  ministry,  are  the 
ones  who  recoil  from  the  thought  of  entering  an 

47 


Our  Heroes,  or 

office  so  high  and  holy.  The  man  who  wants  to 
preach  clearly  indicates  his  unpreparedness  for 
the  sacred  calling.  No  thoughtful  person  will,  of 
his  own  accord,  assume  obligations  so  weighty, 
nor  seek  a  task  so  difficult  and  far-reaching  in 
its  influence  upon  the  destinies  of  men. 

When  Mr.  Funkhouser  was  twenty  he  was 
given  license  to  exhort.  In  this  step  he  was 
evidently  feeling  his  way,  and  wished  to  further 
test  his  own  capabilities  before  entering  the 
itinerancy.  Nevertheless,  he  was  happy  over  the 
little  progress  made,  and  went  home  from  the 
quarterly  meeting  singing, 

"Jesus,  all  the  day  long,  is  my  joy  and  my 
song, 
O,  that  all  his  salvation  might  see." 

In  this  relation  he  continued  to  work  for  years. 
One  incident  which  no  doubt  deepened  his 
convictions  as  to  the  duty  of  preaching,  occurred 
at  a  great  camp-meeting  held  on  the  farm  of 
Jacob  Hous,  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  the  latter 
part  of  August,  1828.  The  aged  Bishop  Chris- 
tian Newcomer,  William  Brown,  and  William 
Rinehart  were  present.  Funkhouser  writes: 
"Newcomer  preached  on  Sunday  morning.  When 
preaching,  he  wept  like  a  mother  over  the  corpse 
of  her  darling  babe.  His  words  were  attended 
with  unusual  power.  Newcomer  requested 
Brother  Brown  to  preach  in  the  afternoon,  but 

48 


DANIEL    FUNKHOUSER 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

he  hesitated,  saying  he  felt  himself  too  unwor- 
thy. Newcomer  said,  'Take  up  the  cross;  we 
will  pray  for  you.'  When  Brown  read  his  text 
and  began  to  preach,  Newcomer  prostrated  him- 
self upon  his  knees  behind  him  in  the  stand,  and 
with  uplifted  hands  prayed  to  God  for  Christ's 
sake  to  bless  Brother  Brown  and  enable  him  to 
preach.  The  congregation,  seeing  Newcomer  in 
that  attitude,  were  melted  to  tears.  Suddenly 
something  came  over  the  people  like  a  whirl- 
wind. They  fell  over  from  their  seats  on  the 
altar  and  outside  of  it.  The  cries  of  mourners 
struck  by  divine  power  became  so  great,  with  the 
singing  and  praying,  that  Brown's  voice  could 
not  be  heard.    Many  conversions  took  place." 

The  Brother  Brown  referred  to  was  afterwards 
elected  one  of  the  Bishops  of  the  Church.  New- 
comer, referring  to  the  occasion  in  his  journal, 
wrote,  "We  had  a  powerful  time  at  that  meet- 
ing. Bless  the  Lord."  Such  scenes  and  demon- 
strations of  the  Spirit  so  frequently  witnessed  a 
century  ago,  left  a.  powerful  impression  upon  the 
communities  in  which  they  occurred,  and  very 
naturally  focused  attention  upon  these  prophets 
of  a  new  way,  who  came  with  their  message  fresh 
from  the  throne. 

Young  Funkhouser's  exhortations  to  the 
Church  and  his  appeals  to  sinners  were  so 
effective,  and  his  progress  as  a  public  speaker  so 
marked,  that  the  annual  conference  which  con- 

49 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

vened  at  Greencastle,  Pennsylvania,  April  8, 
1834,  granted  him  license  to  preach,  with  six 
others,  though  he  had  made  no  request  for  such 
recognition.  His  credentials  were  signed  by 
Bishop  Brown.  Here  he  received  his  first  reg- 
ular charge — Lancaster  and  Lebanon  Circuit — 
which  practically  meant  the  two  counties  after 
which  it  was  named. 

Serving  the  charge  one  year  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  another,  and  then  possibly  to  a  third; 
but  later,  in  1838,  was  returned  to  his  first  field 
where  a  great  religious  tide  swept  over  the 
entire  circuit,  giving  United  Brethrenism  such 
strength  and  prominence  that  it  has  ever  since 
been  one  of  the  dominant  forces  in  the  moral 
and  religious  work  of  that  country. 

One  of  the  things  achieved  during  the  period 
was  the  organization  of  what  was  and  is  known 
as  Ranck  Class.  The  converts  entering  into 
the  organization  came  from  various  meetings 
held  thereabouts  in  barns,  private  houses,  and 
groves.  It  is  the  oldest  local  United  Brethren 
church  in  Lancaster  County,  and  has  at  present 
one  hundred  and  seventy-six  members.  The 
house  of  worship  still  in  use  was  erected  in  1844. 
A  Sabbath  school  has  been  held  in  the  church 
ever  since  1845. 

Mr.  Funkhouser  during  all  these  years  was 
unmarried,  and  in  the  absence  of  a  family  to 
care  for  he  could  give  himself,  day  and  night, 
to  the  work  of  an  itinerant. 

50 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Mrs.  James  Davis  and  Mrs.  Anna  Seldom- 
ridge,  the  only  surviving  members  of  the  original 
class,  ,remember  well  the  pentecostal  year,  and 
the  dauntless  hero  who  led  the  forces  of  the 
Cross.  The  descendants  of  these  great  revivals 
are  to  this  day  the  pillars  in  the  Ranck  and  New 
Holland  churches.  In  other  sections  where  he 
traveled  a  few  still  remain  who  recite  with  great 
interest  how  God  manifested  himself  in  the 
conversion  of  souls  at  all  his  meetings.  Many 
who  knew  him  well,  and  heard  him  at  his  best, 
often  referred  to  him  in  later  years  as  "the  great 
Daniel  Punkhouser." 

On  account  of  ill  health  he  did  no  itinerating 
under  the  direction  of  his  conference  after  1840. 
His  passion  for  souls  so  flamed  that  in  a  little 
while  his  vitality  began  to  wane.  But  after 
locating  he  kept  on  preaching  as  time  and 
strength  permitted,  sometimes  filling  a  hundred 
engagements  in  a  single  year.  Being  able  to 
preach  fluently  in  both  German  and  English,  he 
was  in  great  demand,  and  so  continued  for  many 
years  a  leader  in  all  the  aggressively  religious 
work  of  his  Church. 

In  discussing  the  character  and  achievements 
of  a  man  like  Daniel  Funkhouser,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  raise  the  question  as  to  how  many  years 
he  traveled,  or  how  many  fields  he  served,  but 
what  w^as  his  real  influence  upon  the  Church  of 
his  day,  and  to  what  extent  did  he  stamp  it  with 
his  own  religious  ideals?    In  what  measure  did 

51 


Our  Heroes^  or 

lie  contribute  to  the  permanency  of  the  super- 
structure? How  far  did  God  use  him  in  mould- 
ing its  life  and  shaping  its  policies? 

We  cannot  answer  these  queries  fully  for  the 
want  of  data,  but  we  are  assured  that  he  suc- 
ceeded. We  do  know  that  as  a  great  chieftain 
at  the  head  of  redeemed  militant  forces  he  won 
proud  laurels  for  himself  and  the  Church  to 
which  he  had  pledged  allegiance. 

Indeed,  we  of  to-day,  though  removed  nearly 
three-quarters  of  a  century  from  his  active 
ministerial  career,  know  more  about  the  results 
of  his  labors  than  he  could  know  himself.  We 
have  had  time  to  study  history,  to  identify  and 
locate  agencies  and  first  causes,  to  take  an 
inventory  of  the  assets  bequeathed  to  us,  and  to 
place  a  just  value  upon  them.  We  only  regret 
that  a  life  so  noble  and  devoted  should  be  allowed 
to  remain  obscure  for  so  long  a  period. 

The  vitality  and  genuineness  of  every  seed  is 
seen  in  its  power  of  reproduction.  The  planting 
of  United  Brethrenism  in  southern  Pennsylvania 
Maryland,  and  Virginia,  by  the  divine  husband- 
men who  wrought  so  nobly  in  those  early  days, 
must  have  been  genuine  since  the  seed  sown  has 
grown  and  multiplied  itself  "an  hundredfold" 
as  it  spread  in  different  directions,  and  especially 
westward  toward  the  setting  sun. 

Men  like  Funkhouser  got  but  little  material 
remuneration  for  their  work.  The  full  disciplin- 
ary allowance  was  only  $160.00  a  year  for  a 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

married  man,  and  |80.00  for  the  unmarried. 
But  feAv,  however,  were  fortunate  enough  to  get 
that  much.  Rev.  Samuel  Huber,  a  devoted 
friend  of  Mr.  Funkhouser's,  tells  us  in  his  auto- 
biography that  in  a  ministry  of  forty  years  he 
received  less  than  twenty  dollars  for  his  services, 
though  twelve  years  of  that  time  were  spent  in 
the  presiding  eldership,  when  his  traveling  ex- 
penses must  have  been  considerable.  We  do  not 
think  such  a  policy  was  wise.  Nor  did  he  think 
so  himself  as  he  viewed  the  matter  in  later  years. 
But  we  get  the  lesson,  and  important  it  is,  that 
the  ministry  of  that  day  was  in  no  sense  com- 
mercialized. To  those  who  saw  and  obeyed  the 
"heavenly  vision,"  it  was  not  a  question  of  salary 
for  self,  but  of  service  for  others.  And  many  of 
them,  we  are  inclined  to  think,  preached  more 
gospel  on  a  hundred  dollars  a  year  than  some  do 
to-day  on  their  thousands. 

The  paths  blazed  out  by  these  divine  harbin- 
gers through  wildernesses,  and  across  mountains 
and  plains,  have  long  since  become  highways  for 
the  King,  over  which  the  onward  tramp  of  his 
victorious  hosts  may  now  be  heard.  Some  of 
these  chevaliers  spent  most  of  their  lives  in  the 
saddle.  Indeed,  many  of  thelm  were  there  when 
God  sent  for  them,  and  leaped  from  their  stir- 
rups into  the  waiting  chariot.  In  honoring  their 
memory  we  bare  our  heads,  and  open  our  hearts 
in  gratitude  to  the  good  Father  for  their  lives 
and  labors. 

53 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Daniel  Funkhouser  was  not  given  to  boasting, 
and  seldom  took  any  credit  to  himself  for  what 
he  actually  did.  "He  saw  no  man  save  Jesus 
only."  His  all-absorbing  purpose  was  to  save 
souls.  He  had  the  conception  that  stars  with 
which  to  bedeck  the  heavenly  crown  must  be 
gathered  while  down  in  this  world. 

He  knew  how  to  talk  with  God  as  a  child 
pleads  with  its  father.  His  public  prayers,  at 
times,  were  overwhelming  —  the  unutterable 
gushings  of  a  soul  in  constant  fellowship  with 
heaven. 

Once  while  on  a  visit  to  his  mother  he  stopped 
with  David  Byers,  an  old  acquaintance,  who 
lived  in  Martinsburg,  Virginia.  On  Sunday 
they  went  to  a  Methodist  meeting.  Byers  told 
the  pastor  who  Funkhouser  was,  and  requested 
that  he  be  invited  to  preach.  After  consulting 
his  officials  he  reluctantly  consented,  but  would 
not  go  into  the  pulpit  with  the  newcomer.  This 
treatment  was  keenly  felt  by  the  visitor,  but  his 
Christian  heart  would  not  allow  him  to  resent 
the  injury,  nor  disregard  the  importunities  of  a 
brother.  The  sermon  was  one  of  such  marvelous 
unction  that  the  entire  audience  was  deeply 
moved.  In  closing,  he  turned  to  the  unsaved 
and  presented  his  Christ  with  such  fervor  and 
convincing  appeals  that  twenty-three  rushed  to 
the  altar  of  prayer.  The  pastor  himself  was  so 
wrought  upon  that  he  wept  over  his  conduct, 
and  humbly  begged  the  preacher's  pardon. 

5i 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

This  incident  but  illustrates  the  type  of  Mr. 
Funkhouser's  preaching,  and  the  wonderful 
strength  of  his  personality  when  once  aroused. 

He  was  married  February  6,  1840,  to  Susanna 
Sharick,  of  Mountville,  Pennsylvania,  a  sister  to 
Bishop  Erb's  wife.  Susanna  was  saved  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  and  lived  a  true  Christian  life 
thereafter  until  the  time  of  her  translation 
which  occurred  when  she  was  nearly  ninety-five. 
The  writer  called  at  her  home,  near  Chambers- 
burg,  during  her  last  years  and  found  her 
cheerful  and  happy.  Upon  bidding  her  good-bye 
she  smiled  and  said,  "I  am  patiently  waiting. 
Wouldn't  it  be  nice  if  the  Lord  would  come  for 
me  before  morning?"  He  did  come  a  little  later, 
sure  enough,  and  took  her  to  the  eternal  home 
for  which  she  had  been  preparing  for  more  than 
three-fourths  of  a  century. 

Daniel  Funkhouser  died  on  the  thirty-first  of 
August,  1869,  and  he  died  as  he  had  lived.  At 
no  time  did  his  faith  falter.  Not  a  single  cloud 
arose  to  bedim  the  brightness  of  his  sky.  In  his 
last  moments  he  leaned  back  into  the  arms  of 
infinite  love  as  a  tired,  trusting  child,  and  "was 
not,  for  God  took  him." 

All  that  was  mortal  of  him  now  rests  in  the 

old  Salem  Church  Cemetery,  near  Rocky  Spring, 

in  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  having  been 

carried  thither  by  the  hands  of  his  brethren  and 

comrades  in  toil. 

55 


Our  Heroes,  or 

"As  sink  the  stars  when  night  is  o'er, 
To  rise  upon  some  other  shore. 
So  sank  the  hero  out  of  sight 
In  other  Avorlds  to  walk  in  light." 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  had  two  sons — 
Jacob  and  Benjamin.  The  former  lives  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  the  other  in  Chambersburg, 
Pennsylvania.  Benjamin's  daughter,  Romaine, 
is  the  devoted  wife  and  helper  of  Rev.  W,  H. 
Washinger,  D.D.,  so  favorably  known  through- 
out the  Church,  and  who  has  been,  for  many 
years,  the  faithful,  efficient  presiding  elder  of 
Pennsylvania  Conference. 


56 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AARON  FARMER. 

Our  Pioneer  Journalist. 

The  first  periodical  issued  in  the  name  of  tne 
United  Brethren  Church  was  edited  and  pub- 
lished in  1829  by  Rev.  Aaron  Farmer,  of  In- 
diana. Of  that  devoted  band  of  United  Brethren 
preachers  who  invaded  Indiana  in  the  early 
days,  he  was  one  of  the  most  widely  known  and 
respected.  Bishop  Henry  Kumler,  Sr.,  was  a 
great  admirer  of  Mr.  Farmer,  and  often  men- 
tioned him  in  naming  the  marked  men  of  early 
United  Brethrenism  in  Ohio  and  Indiana. 
Every  reference  made  to  his  brief,  though 
marvelously  successful  career,  by  his  contempor- 
aries, impresses  the  reader  with  a  heroism  and 
grandeur  that  can  only  attach  to  a  great 
character. 

Of  the  parentage,  birthplace,  and  early  history 
of  Mr.  Farmer  nothing  is  recorded,  but  he,  no 
doubt,  inherited  from  his  huuible  Gemian  home, 
wherever  it  was  located,  those  rugged,  virile 
qualities  which  have  borne  fruitage  in  a  life  of 
remarkable  usefulness  to  the  world  and  to  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Born  among  the  poor,  and  in 
a  new  country,  his  early  advantages  were  of 
necessity  very  limited,  Init  he  developed  for  him- 

57 


Our  Heroes,  or 

self  a  keen  sense  of  the  value  and  necessity  of 
a  well-stored  and  disciplined  mind.  His  wide 
reading,  his  general  knowledge  of  men  and 
things,  made  him  one  of  the  best  informed  men 
of  his  conference. 

Mr.  Farmer  was  born  in  the  year  1799.  His 
conversion  occurred  in  1823.  The  following  year 
he  joined  the  Miami  Conference,  when  his  itin- 
erant life  began.  From  that  time  until  the  day 
of  his  death,  fifteen  years  later,  he  gave  full  proof 
of  his  calling.  Having  once  put  his  hands  to 
the  plow,  he  looked  not  back.  He  gave  himself, 
heart,  and  soul,  and  mind,  and  strength,  to  the 
work  of  his  ministry  Witli  unfaltering  purpose, 
with  apostolic  zeal,  with  heroic  faith  that  feared 
no  danger  and  surmounted  every  obstacle,  he 
went  forward  as  duty  called. 

It  has  already  been  said  that  Mr.  Farmer  be- 
gan his  ministry  in  1824.  At  that  time  he  was 
appointed  by  the  conference  to  his  first  charge, 
known  as  "Orange  Circuit."  The  territory 
comprised  portions  of  five  sparsely-settled 
counties.  Clad  in  homespun,  and  with  Testa- 
ment in  his  pocket,  he  started  upon  his  mission. 
In  those  days  the  rivers  were  without  bridges, 
and  most  of  the  country  was  a  dense  wilderness. 
The  cabin  of  the  frontiersman  was  a  rude 
structure  of  logs,  often  with  but  a  single  room, 
with  the  naked  earth  as  its  floor.  These  early 
missionaries  were  often  obliged  to  swim  the 
rivers  with  their  horses,  to  trail  their  own  way 
through   the  wilderness,  and,   for  long  periods 

58 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

at  a  time,  to  suffer  the  privations  and  hardships 
of  pioneer  life. 

John  LaAvrence,  in  his  church  history,  in  his 
own  peculiarly  interesting  way,  gives  the  follow- 
ing picture  of  the  pioneer  preacher's  studio: 
"I  would  show  the  reader  the  interior  of 
a  log  cabin,  in  one  end  of  which  are  the 
beds;  in  a  corner,  near  the  fire,  the  rude 
cupboard  and  table,  the  latter  made  of  a  broad 
puncheon,  clean  and  white;  around  the  great 
log  fire,  I  would  introduce  to  him  six  or  seven 
children,  the  youngest  in  the  lap  of  its  mother. 
In  the  midst  of  this  interesting  group  I  would 
place  the  young  preacher.  The  hard  travel  of 
the  day  is  past.  His  horse  has  been  placed 
under  a  shed ;  his  overcoat  and  leggins  are  drying 
before  the  fire;  the  A\ind  howls  around  the  cabin, 
and  the  snow  beats  against  the  window  panes, 
while  he  is  sitting,  Bible  in  hand,  preparing  his 
sermon.  In  such  a  studio  sermons  have  been 
prepared  which  would  not  discredit  our  best 
city  pulpits  to-day." 

Mr.  Farmer  was  retained  three  years  on  the 
Orange  Circuit,  with  constantly  increasing 
popularity  and  usefulness.  During  this  time  he 
had  attained  such  distinction  as  a.  preacher  that 
he  was  sought  for  beyond  the  limits  of  any  cir- 
cuit or  mission  the  conference  might  assign  him. 
The  borders  of  his  wilderness-mission  were 
constantly  enlarged,  until  it  required  several 
weeks  to  perform  one  round,  giving  each  com- 
munity preaching  once  a  month.     He  was  much 

59 


Our  Heroes,  or 

of  the  time  a  homeless  wanderer.  His  life  was 
one  of  constant  toil,  of  extreme  poverty,  crowded 
with  privations  and  hardships.  And  yet,  as  if 
inspired  and  fortified  by  an  Abrahamic  call, 
bidding  him  go  up  and  become  the  possessor  of 
lands  which  he  knew  not,  he  deliberately  gave 
himself  to  the  work  with  unfaltering  devotion. 

A  historian  pays  the  following  splendid 
tribute  to  the  heroic  life  and  work  of  this  faith- 
ful hero:  "Having  the  heart  of  a  pioneer  mis- 
sionary, he  could  not  neglect  the  calls  from  the 
scattered  sheep,  although  the  labor  which  an 
acceptance  of  these  calls  involved  was  immense." 
"I  have  known  him,"  says  William  Davis,  his 
intimate  friend,  "to  ride  forty  miles,  and  preach 
three  sermons  in  a  day;  and  though  unbridged 
streams  and  high  water  might  cross  his  path, 
he  never  hesitated  to  swim  them,  no  matter 
how  great  the  danger  or  the  exposure." 

The  life  and  work  of  Mr.  Farmer  occupies  a 
■distinctive  place  in  the  early  history  of  the 
denomination.  In  a  very  special  sense  he  may 
be  classed  as  the  John  the  Baptist  of  the  pub- 
lishing interests  of  the  Church.  Up  until  this 
time  the  salvation  of  souls  was  the  all-absorbing 
thought  of  the  pioneer  minister,  and  but  little 
attention  was  given  to  the  organization  of  the 
forces.  Dr.  William  McKee,  in  his  history  of 
Miami  Conference,  referring  to  Mr.  Farmer  and 
the  period  in  which  lie  wrought  so  nobly,  vsays: 

"The  fathers  now  began  to  see  that,  though 
they  had  accomplished  great  good  by  the  means 

60 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

emploj^ed  in  the  souls  they  had  been  instru- 
mental in  saving',  and  the  classes  that  were  or- 
ganized, the  increasing  population  and  the  ad- 
vancing intelligence  of  the  people,  required  that 
something  more  be  done  for  the  permanent 
growth  of  the  Church  than  holding  protracted 
meetings.  These  were  good,  and  of  first  im- 
portance, but  not  all.  The  wilderness  must  not 
only  be  cleared,  but  the  land  must  be  cultivated. 
They  had  enlisted  a  great  army  of  soldiers. 
These  must  be  trained  in  the  art  of  war,  and  to 
go  out  on  an  active  and  aggressive  campaign 
against  the  enemy.  They  must  have  something 
to  do,  both  for  their  own  development,  and  the 
saving  of  their  children  and  the  generations 
yet  unborn." 

The  age  of  construction  in  the  life  and  work 
of  the  denomination  had  dawned;  an  advanced 
step  must  now  be  taken.  The  fathers  began  to 
see  in  that  early  day,  what  became  more  mani- 
festly apparent  later  on,  that  no  movement 
could  live  and  grow  without  its  own  educational 
and  propagandic  institutions.  It  now  became 
evident  that  in  order  to  make  permanent  the 
great  movement  which  God  had  called  into  ex- 
istence, it  would  be  necessary  to  employ  the  use 
of  the  press,  and  later  on  the  place  of  the  college 
was  recognized. 

Mr.  Farmer  was  a  leader  and  a  prophet  that 
thought  in  advance  of  his  times.  He  had  a 
seer-like  grasp  of  the  future,  and  was  construc- 
tive in  his   work.     His   belief   deepened    into  a 

61 


Otir  Heroes,  or 

conviction  that  in  the  process  of  building  a 
great  church,  the  voice  of  the  preacher  must  be 
supplemented  by  the  message  of  the  printed 
page,  and  he  had  the  ambition  to  vitalize  this 
conviction  into  permanent  working  form. 

With  characteristic  zeal  this  courageous  man 
undertook  the  enterprise.  In  1829,  at  Salem, 
Indiana,  he  sent  forth  the  pioneer  denomina- 
tional journal.  The  title,  "Zion's  Advocate," 
was  significant.  "Had  it  lived  and  fulfilled  its 
mission,  as  it  was  photographed  in  the  mind  and 
heart  of  this  earnest  man  of  God,  the  name, 
Religious  Telescope,  might  never  have  been 
heard,  and  the  printing  establishment  might 
have  been  located  in  Salem  instead  of  Dayton." 
The  enterprise  w^as  undertaken  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Miami  Conference.  The  re- 
strictions of  the  conference  as  to  doctrinal  teach- 
ing and  unprofitable  controversy  are  interesting. 
They  appear  in  the  minutes  of  the  session  of 
1829,  and  are  as  follows: 

I.  That  Zion's  Advocate  was  to  contain  doc- 
trine consonant  with  the  church  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ. 

II.  It  is  not  to  be  devoted  to  unprofitable 
controversy. 

III.  It  is  to  be  printed  on  good  paper  and 
neatly  executed. 

IV.  It  is  to  be  edited  by  Aaron  Farmer. 

The  requirement  of  the  conference,  as  ex- 
pressed in  the  third  item,  excites  a  smile,  when 
it  is  remembered  that  Mr.  Farmer  was  to  per- 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

sonally  assume  the  financial  responsibility  of 
the  enterprise.  However,  the  wishes  of  the  con- 
ference were  honored.  A  good  quality  of  paper 
was  used,  and  the  mechanical  appearance  of  the 
journal  was  most  commendable  for  that  day. 

But  the  limited  patronage  soon  revealed  the 
fact  that  "the  conference  was  better  at  giving 
advice  as  to  the  management  of  the  paper  than 
in  supporting  it — a  lesson  that  has  been  often 
repeated,  both  by  individuals  and  large  bodies 
of  men."  It  soon  became  apparent  to  Mr. 
Parmer  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to  secure 
suflflcient  support  to  continue  the  publication 
of  the  paper.  This  was  one  of  the  bitter  trials 
in  the  life  of  this  heroic  man.  "The  wonder  is 
not,"  says  Doctor  McKee,  "that  the  fathers 
made  some  blunders,  and  advanced  slowly,  but 
that  they  succeeded  so  well  in  the  face  of  such 
great  discouragements;  that  they  took  so  many 
advanced  steps,  stepped  so  firmly,  and,  did  not 
retreat,  grow  weary  and  faint,  or  remain  quiet 
and  content  to  plod  on  by  the  old  methods,  or 
rather  the  want  of  system,  until  their  oppor- 
tunity had  gone  by  and  others  were  risen  up  to 
do  the  work  that  Providence  had  assigned  to 
them." 

It  wouhl  not  be  correct  to  say  that  Mr. 
Farmer's  adventure  was  a  failure,  even  though, 
by  force  of  circumstances,  he  was  compelled  to 
discontinue  the  publication  of  his  journal.  The 
lenterprise  served  to  show  the  trend  of  the 
thought  and  purpose  of  the  fathers  during  that 

63 


Onr  Ueroes,  or 

early  period  of  religious  activity.  The  paper 
was  published  in  response  to  a  vital  need  of  the 
young  denomination.  It  made  possible  the 
action  of  the  General  Conference  four  years 
later,  providing  for  the  establishment  of  a  de- 
nominational publishing  house.  The  present 
splendid  institution,  upon  which  the  Church 
can  well  look  with  pride,  is  the  fruitage  of  the 
seed-sowing  of  Aaron  Farmer  and  a  few  other 
seers  of  his  day,  such  as  John  Russell  and 
William  R.  Einehart. 

When  the  General  Conference  of  1833  con- 
vened, the  conviction  was  profound  that  a  de- 
nominational paper  had  now  become  a  necessity. 
It  was  the  voice  of  God  biding  the  Church  go 
forward,  and  she  was  not  disobedient  to  the 
call.  There  was  in  sight  no  such  denominational 
wealth  as  to  justify  the  support  of  the  enter- 
prise. The  work  was,  with  the  founders,  one  of 
love  and  of  faith,  prompted  by  a  deep  conviction 
of  the  needs  of  the  people.  Circleville,  Ohio, 
was  selected  as  the  sight  of  the  new  institution. 
The  board  of  trustees,  composed  of  John 
Russell,  Jonathan  Dresback,  and  George  Dres- 
back,  proceeded  cautiously  in  the  discharge  of 
their  duties,  and  it  was  not  until  the  thirty- 
first  of  December,  1834,  more  than  a  year  and 
a  half  from  the  time  it  was  ordered,  that  the 
first  number  of  the  new  paper  appeared.  It 
was  issued  under  the  title,  which  it  has  since 
retained  unchanged — The  Religious  Telescope. 
The  paper  bore  the  name  of  William  R.  Rine- 

64 


REV.   JOSEPH    FARMER 

Son   of  Aaron   I'arnu-r.       Ditil  m   ISIil. 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

hart  as  its  first  editor.  He  had  started,  during 
the  year  1834,  a  paper  at  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land, entitled  The  Mountain  Messenger,  which 
was  merged  into  the  new  official  publication. 

From  the  human  side,  this  first  department 
of  the  organized  work  of  the  denomination  was 
started  under  auspices  apparently  most  for- 
biding.  The  work  was  begun  with  liabilities 
amounting  to  sixteen  hundred  dollars,  and  soon 
the  debt  reached  six  thousand  dollars.  "It 
would  certainly  have  failed  had  it  not  been 
sustained  by  the  courage  and  ample  credit  of 
the  trustees."  Under  this  financial  burden  the 
officers  toiled  for  more  than  a  dozen  years,  and 
it  was  not  until  1849  that  the  House  was  re- 
lieved of  the  indebtedness  incurred  in  the 
launching  of  the  new  enterprise. 

Ifl  looking  back  over  the  eighty-two  years 
since  the  little  journal  was  started  by  Mr. 
Farmer,  which  resulted  in  the  founding  of  a 
publishing  house  five  years  later,  we  can  but 
marvel  at  the  growth  of  the  institution.  From 
its  borrowed  capital  of  sixteen  hundred  dollars, 
it  has  progressed  until  it  now  has  a  net  property 
of  one  million  dollars.  In  equipment  and  finan- 
cial standing,  it  rates  second  to  none  in  the 
land.  It  has  never  made  any  compromises  with 
its  creditors,  but  has  always  paid  one  hundred 
cents  on  the  dollar  of  its  material  obligations. 

The  institution  has  contributed  many  thou- 
sands of  dollars  to  cheer  and  brighten  the 
closing  days  of  our  aged  ministers,  but  its  high- 

65 


Our  Heroes,  or 

est  service  and  greatest  glory  appears  in  the 
fact  that  it  is  sending  forth  annually  to  United 
Brethrenism,  and  to  its  afflliated  patronage,  not 
less  than  seventy-five  full  carloads  of  pure  and 
uplifting  literature.  Best  of  all,  in  the  light  of 
reasonable  possibilities,  the  institution  is  but 
in  the  youthful  beginnings  of  its  great  career. 
The  future  mil  witness  its  greatest  service  to 
the  Church  and  the  world.  We  pause  to  wonder 
whether  our  pioneer  journalist  ever  had  any 
adequate  forecast  of  how  great  an  institution 
was  to  rise  upon  the  foundations  he  was  laying. 

Mr.  Farmer  is  spoken  of  by  his  associates  as 
a  man  of  rare  power  in  the  pulpit.  In  the  out- 
goings and  outgivings  of  his  personality  there 
was  a  mystic  power,  by  which,  at  will,  he  moved 
and  melted  and  mastered  men.  He  was  erratic, 
if  that  familiar  term,  applied  to  the  pioneer 
preachers,  meant  that  they  differed  from  the 
established  conventional  clergy;  for  those  men 
followed  no  beaten  track,  Mr.  Farmer  is  de- 
scribed as  a  man  of  commanding  presence.  He 
was  five  feet,  ten  inches  in  height,  firmly  built, 
face  round  and  full,  forehead  broad  and  high, 
chest  full.  He  had  a  strong  voice,  well  ac- 
cented; expressive  gestures,  and  thorough 
earnestness  of  manner.  "There  was  thought  in 
all  his  words  and  wisdom  in  all  his  thoughts." 

Great  heart-power  was  also  manifest  in  his 
ministry.  "He  seldom  preached,"  says  Mr. 
Lawrence,  "to  a  tearless  congregation;  and  few 
men  have  been  more  successful  in  soul-winning. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Wherever  he  went,  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years, 
the  people  flocked  in  crowds  to  hear  him ;  and 
he  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  added  unto  the 
Church,  almost  daily,  such  as  are  saved.  He 
had  a  passion  for  souls,  which  no  labors,  sor- 
rows, or  hardships  could  abate.  He  went  forth 
weeping-,  and  in  the  harvest  few  men  wall  have 
more  sheaves."  "He  played  upon  the  emotions 
of  his  audience  as  upon  a  stringed  instrument." 
Once,  when  preaching  on  "The  Rich  Man  and 
Lazarus,"  he  hesitated  for  a  few  minutes, 
when  a  death-like  stillness  prevailed;  then  he 
uttered  the  rich  man's  prayer :  "Send  Lazarus, 
that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  a  cup  of 
cold  water  and  cool  my  parched  tongue." 
Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  dipped  his 
finger  into  a  glass  of  water,  and  allowed  a  drop 
to  fall  on  his  tongue.  The  effect  was  wonderful. 
Mr.  Farmer  wielded  a  great  influence  over 
young  men.  Of  those  awakened  and  converted 
through  his  efforts  were  a  number  who  entered 
the  ministry,  some  of  whom  became  eminently 
useful  preachers.  His  public  ministry  was  sup- 
plemented by  personal  effort  in  winning  men, 
and  discovering  and  developing  those  whom  God 
had  called  into  the  Christian  ministry.  A  great 
leader  has  made  the  criticism  upon  the  present- 
day  organized  Christianity,  that  it  is  lacking  in 
personal  dealing  with  men.  That  was  not  true 
of  this  hero  of  the  cross.  He  was  a  man  of 
prayer,  of  deep  personal  piety.  His  spirit 
gripped  men.    He  was  first  among  his  associates 

67 


Our  Heroes,  or 

in  service  and  in  sacrifice.  During  the  closing 
years  of  his  life  he  was  presiding  elder  of  the 
Indianapolis  District,  in  his  own  conference, 
which  included  about  half  of  that  great  State. 
When  he  moved  among  his  brethren  with  the 
authority  of  a  military  chieftain,  that  authority 
was  always  respected,  because  he  himself  was 
uniformly  a  war-leader,  and  at  the  forefront  in 
the  battles.  It  was  a  perpetual  object  lesson, 
inspiring  to  magnificent  work.  It  transformed 
the  preachers  of  his  district  into  heroes. 

The  field  of  Mr.  Farmer''s  toil  was  mainly 
Ohio  and  Indiana.  At  one  time,  however,  he 
took  a  long  missionary  tour  beyond  these 
borders,  during  which  he  visited  portions  of 
Tennessee,  Illinois,  and  Missouri.  He  never 
grew  tired  of  his  tasks,  though  he  often  grew 
weary  under  them.  A  few  days  before  his  death, 
when  conversing  witli  a  brother  about  the  hard- 
ships to  which  the  pioneer  ministers  v/ere  nec- 
essarily subjected,  he  said :  "Although  I  have 
faced  the  fierce  winds,  and  often  almost  per- 
ished with  cold,  and  although  I  have  been  sent 
many  miles  from  home,  and  have  received  very 
little  support,  my  salary  ranging  from  twenty- 
five  to  sixty  dollars  a  year,  yet,  should  I  never 
meet  my  brethren  in  a  conference  again,  they 
will  bear  me  witness  that  I  never  complained." 

A  high  tribute  to  the  piety  of  Mr.  Farmer's 
humble  pioneer  home  is  found  in  the  fact  that 
each  of  his  seven  children  was  early  won  to 
Christ,  and  they  became  active  church-workers. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Tills  hero  of  the  cross  was  greatly  encouraged 
in  his  arduous  toil  by  the  devotion  of  his  faith^ful 
wife,  who  maintained  family  worship  during 
the  long  periods  of  his  absence.  The  cabin  in 
which  they  lived  had  scanty  furnishings,  but  it 
was  home;  there  love  reigned  supreme.  Many 
of  the  faithful  wives  of  those  heroic  men  are  not 
named,  but  they  were  heroines.  Beautiful 
crowns  will  bedeck  their  brows  in  heaven,  even 
though  they  had  no  recognition  upon  the  earth. 
The  following  extracts  from  a  letter,  reporting 
his  work,  written  about  six  months  before  his 
death,  and  appearing  in  the  Telescope  of  Sep- 
tember 19,  1838,  give  something  of  an  insight 
into  t\iQ  character  and  labors  of  this  heroic 
man,  and  contain  a  very  tender  allusion  to  the 
partner   of   his   toils: 

"Our  fourth  quarterly  meeting  on  Indianap- 
olis Circuit  began  on  the  last  Saturday  in  July. 
Great  blessing  attended  the  communion  on  Sun- 
day evening At  a  tAvo-days'  meeting  in  the 

wilds  of  Indiana,  near  the  Miami  Indian  Re- 
serve, God  was  with  us  of  a  truth.  Saints 
rejoiced  and  sinners  wept.  At  the  close  there 
were  but  few  who  did  not  come  forward  and 
give  their  hands,  desiring  to  be  prayed  for.  On 
Tuesday,  in  company  with  Brother  Davis,  I 
preached  in  Andersontown,  Indiana,  to  a  large 
and  mixed  assembly — infidels  of  ancient  and 
modern  type,  and  some  true  believers  and  friends 
of  God  and  man.  On  Friday  our  first  camp-meet- 
ing opened  near  Middletown,  Indiana.  Every  ser- 

69 


Our  Heroes,  or 

mon  and  every  prayer  seemed  to  be  seasoned. 
There  were  no  visible  awakenings  until  the 
afternoon  of  the  second  day,  when  the  cries  of 
sinners  were  heard.    On  Monday  a  number  were 

converted Other  appointments  compelled 

me  to  close  with  great  reluctance,  leaving  per- 
haps fifty  trembling  mourners. 

"I  pursued  my  way  to  the  second  camp-meet- 
ing, preaching  twice  a  day,  and  reaching  the 
camp  ground  near  Indianapolis  on  Friday,  July 
10.  The  meeting  gradually  grew  better.  I 
introduced  the  love  feast  before  the  sacrament 
on  Sunday  night.  God  was  in  our  midst,  and 
the  meeting  continued  until  midnight.  After 
a  farewell  sermon  on  Monday  forenoon,  we  met 
at  the  table  of  our  Father.  There  I  met  my 
dear  Gitty  (referring  to  his  devoted  wife),  who 
had  riden  forty  miles  to  meet  me  at  the  Lord's 
table,  where  he  was  manifest  unto  us  in  the 
breaking  of  bread."  It  was  a  strong  tie  which 
bound  these  two  hearts  in  love,  hope,  and  pur- 
pose. The  Church  owes  as  much  to  those  faith- 
ful heroines  as  it  does  to  their  husbands,  whom 
they  cheered  on  to  victory. 

Mr.  Farmer  was  called  from  labor  to  reward 
when  at  the  very  zenith  of  his  power  and  use- 
fulness. To  measure  as  we  measure  time,  his 
life  was  short,  but  measured  by  the  standard 
of  good  accomplished,  that  brief  span  of  life 
was  full,  complete,  and  inspiring.  A  few  days 
previous  to  his  death,  when  riding  in  company 
with  a  brother  minister,  he  remarked  that  his 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

time  would  soou  come  to  a  close,  and  burst  into 
a  flood  of  tears,  exhorting  his  friend  to  be  faith- 
ful to  his  charge.  He  was  now  about  forty 
3'ears  of  age.  He  had  no  decadence  of  power,  none 
of  the  yellow  mould  of  old  age  was  upon  him ; 
there  was  no  lack  of  strength  and  enthusiasm, 
of  enterprise  and  vision;  but  full-sunned  and 
orbed  in  all  his  powers,  he  at  once  ceased  to 
labor  and  to  live. 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  first  day  of 
March,  1839,  when  his  departure  occurred.  Just 
before  the  chariot  came,  while  his  neighbors 
were  conversing  around  his  bed,  he  asked  them 
to  be  quiet.  "Gitty,"  he  said,  for  this  was  the 
familiar  name  by  which  he  called  his  faithful 
companion,  "Gitty,  come  here  and  listen."  "To 
what  shall  I  listen?"  she  replied.  "Why,"  said 
he,  in  surprise,  "Don't  you  hear  that  singing?" 
"No,"  said  she,  "I  do  not."  "Oh,"  he  continued, 
as  a  smile  played  over  his  face,  "it  is  the 
sweetest  music  I  have  ever  heard  in  all  my  life. 
Heavenly  messengers  have  come  for  me  and  I 
must  go."  With  this  he  asked  them  to  raise 
him  up  and  give  him  a  cup  of  water.  He  took 
the  cup,  drank,  and  then,  with  a  smile,  closed 
his  eyes  in  death.  Thus  went  to  his  reward  a 
man  of  apostolic  zeal,  one  whose  record  can 
never  perish. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  no  picture  of  this 
pioneer  missionary,  editor  and  publisher,  has 
been  handed  down  to  the  Church.  After  a  spe- 
cial effort  covering  a  period  of  six  months,  we 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

have  failed  to  locate  his  grave.  It  is  supposed 
that  his  body  rests  in  a  cemetery  near  Williams- 
burg, Indiana.  If  so,  the  grave  is  unmarked. 
God  knows  the  location,  and  angels  will  guard 
the  saered  dust  until  the  resurrection  morn.  He 
has  a  memorial  more  enduring  than  marble  or 
granite  in  the  good  he  accomplished,  which  lives 
after  him  in  ever  enlarging  results. 


72 


CHAPTER  V. 

SAMUEL    HUBER. 

Noted  for  His  Camp-Meeting  Gmnpaigns. 

Among  the  ministers  widely  known  in  the 
early  years  of  United  Brethrenism  in  southern 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  was  Samuel  Huber. 
The  evangelistic  tone  of  his  preaching,  his  adap- 
tation to  pioneer  work,  and  his  ability  to  in- 
fluence great  audiences,  attracted  wide  attention, 
and  created  a  general  demand  for  his  services. 
He  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, January  31,  1782.  Though  his  parents 
were  Mennonites,  the^^  threw  open  their  door  for 
United  Brethren  preachers,  and  Otterbein, 
Boehm,  Geeting,  Newcomer,  and  Hoffman,  were 
among  the  first  to  visit  the  home  and  hold  relig- 
ious services  therein.  At  first  it  was  the  Church's 
only  preaching  jDlace  between  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  In 
that  earl}^  day  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  a 
minister  to  travel  fifty  miles  between  appoint- 
ments. 

The  gospel  messages  proclaimed  by  these  dis- 
tinguished men  profoundly  stirred  the  heart  of 
young  Huber.  In  his  autobiography  he  devotes 
considerable  space  to  a  description  of  his 
struggles  to  reach  a  Christian    life,    which  ex- 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

tended  through  many  years  of  doubts  and  con- 
flicts. He  wanted  to  do  right,  but  the  opposing 
current  carried  him  far  away  in  the  opposite 
direction,  leaving  him  at  times  almost  hopelessly 
stranded  in  the  matter  of  religion.  But  he  must 
tell  it.  "When  about  thirteen  years  of  age,"  he 
says,  "under  the  preaching  of  Joseph  Hoffman, 
I  became  more  deeply  convinced  of  'sin,  right- 
eousness, and  of  a  judgment  to  come.'  Then  I 
prayed  to  God  at  times,  but  was  in  a  great  meas- 
ure carried  off  through  the  follies  of  youth.  On 
another  occasion,  under  Father  Newcomer's 
preaching,  God  sent  another  arrow  to  my  heart. 
I  felt  awful.  But  these  emotions  again  wore  off. 
Yet,  I  really  had  no  peace  of  soul.  In  this  state 
of  mind  I  grcAV  up  to  manhood.  Like  the  poet 
I  could  say: 

"  'Now  I  repent,  and  sin  again ; 
Now  I  revive,  and  I'm  slain ; 
Slain  with  the  same  unhappy  dart 
Which,  oh,  too  often  wounds  my  heart.'  " 

On  the  tenth  of  June,  1806,  he  was  married  to 
Nancy  Weaver,  whose  parents  lived  near  Win- 
chester, Virginia.  About  this  time,  in  his  search 
for  pleasure,  he  became  infatuated  with  horse- 
racing,  and  spent  much  of  his  time  at  the  race 
track.  His  wife,  though  not  a  Christian,  soon 
recognized  the  danger  to  which  he  was  exposed, 
and  begged  him  to  give  up  such  a  life.  Nor  did 
she  plead  in  vain.     One  day    while   among   his 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

drunken,  gamblino^  associates  at  one  of  these  re- 
sorts, he  was  greatly  wrought  upon  by  the  spirit 
of  conviction.  He  describes  his  experience  as 
follows :  "After  taking  a  drink,  and  while  in  the 
act  of  mounting  my  horse,  like  Saul  of  Tarsus,  T 
was  smitten  with  divine  power  similar  to  a  flash 
of  lightning.  The  scales  fell  from  my  eyes,  and 
I  saw  at  a  glance  that  all  the  people,  with  myself, 
were  on  the  broad  road  to  hell.  The  alarming 
thought  of  losing  my  soul  was  impressed  upon 
my  heart  with  a  power  I  never  felt  before.  I  was 
wretched  and  filled  with  remorse.  I  knew  I 
had  so  frequently  grieved  the  Spirit  of  God  that 
I  deserved  to  be  sent  to  hell." 

As  conviction  deepened,  the  burden  of  sin  be- 
came intolerable.  In  the  midst  of  it  all  he  pros- 
trated himself  before  heaven  and  prayed:  "O 
Lord !  if  thy  justice  requires  my  damnation,  then 
it  is  just,  and  if  I  must  perish,  send  me  to  hell 
rather  than  permit  me  to  live  longer  in  sin.  In 
this  depth  of  horror  I  cannot  continue.  If  there 
be  mercy,  for  Christ's  sake  let  me  feel  it ;  if  not, 
cut  me  down  as  a  'cumberer  of  the  ground.'  " 

Then  he  went  to  the  woods  again,  where  he 
had  gone  before  more  than  once  for  meditation 
and  prayer,  and  resolved  to  spend  the  whole  day 
there,  alone  with  God.  While  wandering  among 
the  trees,  bemoaning  his  wretched  condition,  a 
voice  was  plainly  heard,  saying,  "There  is  yet 
mercy  for  you."  Hope  was  once  more  enthroned 
in  his  soul,  and  he  cried  aloud,  "Yes,  thank  God, 
there  is  yet  mercy  for  me.     Here,  Lord,  I  give 

75 


Our  Heroes,  or 

myself,  soul  and  body,  into  thy  hands;  do  with 
me  as  seemeth  good  to  thee."  "A  ray  of  light 
flashed  down  into  my  heart,"  he  says;  "my  fears 
were  gone.  Unspeakable  joy  filled  my  soul.  I 
went  forth  praising  God,  saying.  Break  forth 
into'  singing,  ye  trees  of  the  wood,  for  Jesus  has 
brought  Samuel  Huber  to  God." 

Upon  returning  home,  his  wife  inquired, 
"Where  have  you  been  so  long?"  "In  the 
woods,"  was  the  reply,  "where  I  have  found  Him 
of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  did 
write." 

Soon  thereafter  his  wife  w^as  saved,  and  both 
entered  together  upon  a  life  in  which  God  had 
determined  to  make  them  an  abiding  blessing  to 
the  Church  and  the  world.  At  once  he  opened 
his  house  for  preaching,  and  the  influence  of  the 
new  convert  spread  in  every  direction.  Soon  his 
brother  Benjamin,  and  many  of  the  neighbors, 
were  converted.  Prayer  and  preaching  services 
were  held  from  house  to  house  through  the  week, 
and  thus  the  revival  spirit  continued  to  grow. 
At  one  of  these  meetings,  in  the  absence  of  a 
preacher,  he  made  his  first  attempt  to  lead.  After 
prayer  and  song,  he  was  encouraged  to  speak, 
though  it  was  done  with  "fear  and  trembling." 
But  God  so  blessed  him  in  the  effort,  and  the 
impressions  made  upon  the  people  were  so  deep 
and  strong,  that  he  soon  began  to  make  appoint- 
ments for  other  communities,  holding  as  many 
as  two  or  three  meetings  each  week.  Feelings  of 
conviction  marked  every  service.     News  of  the 

76 


ZJ lilted  Brethren  Home  Missiotuiries 

great  awakening  finally  readied  the  ears  of  many 
of  the  preachers  in  other  sections  of  the  country, 
and  some  of  them  came  to  see  Mr.  Huber  and 
to  inquire  of  the  work. 

The  success  achieved  in  his  meetings,  and  the 
measure  of  the  divine  blessing  bestowed  upon 
his  public  efforts,  led  him  by  degTces  to  accept 
the  ministry  as  the  great  calling  of  his  life. 

In  1815  he  was  licensed  to  exhort,  near  Green- 
castle,  Pennsylvania!,  and  a  year  later  received 
regular  license  from  the  Pennsylvania  Confer- 
ence. He  must  now  go^  where  he  was  sent,  and 
do  whatever  his  brethren  laid  upon  him.  So  the 
true  itinerant  always  does.  At  this  conference 
a  request  came  for  preaching  in  Tuckaho  Valley, 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  lot  fell  upon  Samuel 
Huber  and  John  Bear.  In  those  early  days  the 
preachers,  as  far  as  they  could,  traveled  by  twos, 
in  apostolic  style.  Mr.  Huber  gives  the  follow- 
ing description  of  the  itinerary:  "We  went  first 
to  Path  Valley,  thence  to  Aughwick  Valley,  and 
from  there  to  Hill  Valley.  Passing  through 
Huntingdon  County  we  came  to  Tuckaho  Valley, 
and  tarried  to  preach  at  Brother  Buttenberger's. 
We  were  regarded  as  strange  sort  of  men.  Some 
of  the  people  looked  at  us  with  terrified  glances, 
afraid  to  come  into  the  house  where  we  were  to 
preach,  but  stood  looking  in  at  the  windows.  They 
finally  dscovered  that  we  were  like  other  men. 
We  invited  them  in,  and,  after  some  hesitation, 
they  began  to  enter  until  the  house  was  crowded. 
Brother  Bear  preached  and  I  followed  with  an 

77 


Our  Heroes,  or 

exhortation.  The  Word  took  effect.  Some  were 
deeply  moved.  One  woman,  a  Lutheran  preach- 
er's wife,  got  under  conviction  and  prayed 
earnestly.  Next  day  we  went  to  Warrior's  Mark, 
put  up  with  Mr.  Rumberger,  and  preached  to  the 
people.  Returning  home,  we  held  services  at 
the  several  appointments  we  had  made  on  our 
outward  route.  These  appointments  extended 
eighty-five  miles  from  where  we  started  on  the 
Alleghen}^  mountains.  For  about  two  years  the 
Lord  wrought  such  work  among  the  people,  and 
preaching  places  were  open  in  such  numbers 
that  we  could  not  fill  them.  A  circuit  was  then 
formed  for  two  preachers.  During  these  times 
a  new  appointment  was  taken  up  at  the 
home  of  Mr.  Conrad,  near  Warrior's  Mark. 
Brother  David  Bear,  Henry  Troub,  and 
myself,  while  on  the  way  to  the  Iron  Furnace, 
where  Mr.  Conrad  lived,  heard  that  an  appoint- 
ment had  been  made  for  us  there.  When  we 
arrived,  we  found  a  wedding  party  in  waiting, 
and  Brother  Troub  tied  the  knot.  In  the  even- 
ing I  preached,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  wrought 
wonderfully.  Seven  of  the  wedding  party  fell, 
cried  for  mercy,  and  were  married  to  the  Lamb 
of  God."  Later,  it  would  seem,  a  house  of  wor- 
ship was  erected  in  the  neighborhood,  and  a 
permanent  organization  established.  The  good 
work  spread  through  the  valley,  extending  as 
far  as  Bellefonte.  Thus  United  Brethren  preach- 
ing was  introduced  in  that  section  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

The  work  of  revivals  was  constant.  No  serv- 
ice was  a  success  unless  somebody  was  saved. 
Mr.  Huber  tells  of  a  meeting  at  "Sister  Hubler's" 
which  lasted  from  dark  until  breakfast  time  the 
next  morning.  It  was  a  night  of  decision,  of 
struggle,  and  of  triumph.  Many  experienced  a 
new  sunrise  in  their  souls  long  before  the  day- 
dawn  appeared.  The  next  evening  he  preached 
at  a  Mr.  Cling's,  near  Concord,  where  six  were 
saved  and  entered  the  better  way.  Another 
evening,  perhaps  the  following,  five  more  were 
converted  in  another  neighborhood.  These  cases 
but  illustrate  how  things  went,  not  only  for  a 
season,  but  from  year  to  year. 

At  a  conference  held  in  Frederick  County, 
Maryland,  May  7,  1819,  Mr.  Huber  was  or- 
dained by  Bishop  Newcomer,  and  by  the  same 
conference  elected  presiding  elder,  in  which 
capacity  he  served,  all  told,  twelve  years.  The 
duties  of  the  office  led  him  over  a  vast  district 
of  country,  extending  not  only  through  southern 
Pennsylvania,  but  far  up  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 
During  the  preceding  year  he  had  made  a  trip 
through  the  same  valley  with  Bishop  Henry 
Kumler,  preaching  twice  a  day,  going  and  re- 
turning. On  their  way  back  they  attended  an 
annual  conference,  which  convened  in  Harper's 
Ferry. 

Speaking  of  his  first  trip  through  Virginia 
as  a  presiding  elder,  he  has  this  to  say :  "I  went 
through  the  Virginia  Circuit,  and  held  a  quar- 
terly    meeting  at     John     Funkhouser's.     Here 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

much  good  was  done.  Many  got  under  convic- 
tion. Believers  were  stirred  up,  and  swelling 
shouts  of  joy  ascended  on  high.  There  was  a 
protracted  meeting  going  on  at  Father  Shewey's, 
ten  miles  above  Stanton,  which  I  attended,  and 
then  went,  upon  invitation,  and  preached  in 
Stanton.  From  here  I  journeyed  to  Middle- 
brook  and  preached,  and  thence  went  toward 
Greenbrier,  not  far  from  the  Natural  Bridge,  on 
my  way  to  hold  the  following  quarterly  meetings, 
namely,  one  at  Brother  Site's,  one  at  New  Mar- 
ket, at  Brother  Lauman's,  and  one  at  Brother 
Blind's.  After  this  I  returned  home."  Possibly 
his  sermon  in  Stanton  was  the  first  one  ever 
preached  there  by  a  United  Brethren. 

When  harvest  was  over,  he  went  back  up  the 
valley  and  held  a.  camp-meeting  in  Kockingham 
County,  six  miles  out  from  Harrisburg,  assisted 
by  Christian  Troub,  John  Brown,  Henry  Burt- 
ner,  and  others.  Things  didn't  go  well  for  a 
while.  The  prayer-life  seemed  to  be  absent. 
One  afternoon  he  got  the  Christians  together 
in  the  preacher's  tent  for  confession  and  suppli- 
cation, and  while  thus  waiting  before  the  throne, 
some  unconverted  persons  came  in  and  were 
immediately  seized  with  conviction  so  deep  and 
pungent  that  they  fell  upon  their  faces  and 
sought  salvation.  The  tide  had  turned.  Others 
came,  and  a  great  time  was  experienced.  Many 
prayed,  others  shouted,  and  the  preachers  ex- 
horted, while — 

80 


SAMUEL     RUBER 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

"Heaven  came  down  their  souls  to  greet, 
And  glory  crowned  the  mercy  seat." 

Like  many  another  camp-meeting  in  that  day, 
and  since,  it  touched  the  homes  and  hearts  of  all 
the  adjacent  communities,  and  was  looked  back 
to  by  Mr.  Huber  as  one  of  the  greatest  victories 
of  his  life. 

But  such  ai  religious  awakening  is  almost  sure 
to  stir  rebellious  hearts  into  bitter  opposition. 
So  it  happened  in  this  case.  He  says :  "On  Sun- 
day I  preached  in  German.  The  Methodist  pre- 
siding elder,  who  attended  the  camp,  followed 
with  a  sermon  in  English.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  weeping  in  the  congregation  that  day. 
Many  of  the  people  on  the  ground  were  colored, 
and  I  promised  them  that  they  should  have  three 
hours  in  which  to  conduct  their  own  religious 
exercises  as  they  might  think  best.  After  I  came 
down  from  the  stand,  a  big,  burly-looking  man, 
Mdth  a  heavy  whip  in  his  hand,  took  me  roughly 
by  the  arm,  and  told  me  that  I  had  subjected 
myself  to  a.  fine  of  twenty-five  dollars  for  giving 
liberty  to  the  colored  people.  I  told  him  I  was 
not  aware  of  having  violated  the  Virginia  laws, 
that  I  was  a  Pennsylvanian,  preached  the  Bible, 
and  believed  that  the  colored  people  had  as  much 
need  of  the  gospel  as  either  of  us.  He  still  held 
fast  to  my  arm.  At  length  a  magistrate  came  to 
where  we  were  standing,  and,  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  the  affair,  said  to  the  fellow,  'Sir, 

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Our  Heroes  J  or 

if  you  don't  let  go  of  the  preacher,  and  cease 
further  molestation,  I  will  teach  you  some  law 
which  you  do  not  understand.'  He  let  go  my 
arm,  hung  down  his  head,  and  sneaked  away." 

From  this  camp-meeting  he  went  to  another 
near  Newton,  and  thence  home,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  third  camp  near  the  head  of  Falling 
Spring,  Franklin  County. 

At  this  time  certain  elements,  mainly  members 
of  other  churches,  left  nothing  undone  to  oppose 
and  defeat  the  exponents  and  leaders  of  United 
Brethrenism.  In  some  instances  they  would  re- 
sort to  downright  persecution ;  in  other  cases  to 
the  use  of  bitter  invective  and  biting  sarcasm. 
One  thing  they  talked,  generally,  was  that  Huber 
and  his  crowd  of  preachers  could  never  hope  to 
win  a  following.  "They  can  put  all  the  members 
they  will  ever  get  into  a  few  corn-cribs,"  they 
said.  But  the  achievements  of  the  years  that 
followed  have  long  since  shown  that  they  were 
false  prophets,  and  only  uttered  out  of  wicked 
hearts  what  they  hoped  would  come  to  pass. 

Mr.  Huber  was  a  modest  man,  and  ordinarily 
impressed  the  stranger  as  being  timid  and  in 
no  sense  combative;  but  those  who  knew  him 
well,  and  heard  him  often,  and  under  circum- 
stances calculated  to  test  a  man's  mettle,  found 
that  a  hero's  blood  ran  through  his  every  vein. 
When  aroused  he  showed  no  quarter,  and  asked 
none  of  his  enemies.  He,  too,  was  merciless  in 
repartee  and  sarcasm,  and  came  to  be  feared  by 
the  opposers  of  the  Church. 

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United  Brethren  Hcmie  Missionaries 

About  the  year  1818  he  took  up  a  regular 
appointment  in  Chambersburg,  preaching  in 
private  homes.  At  one  of  his  meetings  "the 
spirit  of  God,"  he  says,  "came  upon  the  people 
like  'the  rushing  of  a  mighty  wind.'  Some 
shouted,  leaping  and  praising  God.  I  felt  heaven 
within  me."  At  the  close  of  the  service  he  re- 
ceived twenty-six  into  the  Church.  This  was 
when  and  how  the  Church  started  in  Chambers- 
burg.  Two  weeks  later  he  proposed  the  erection 
of  a  house  of  worship,  and  actually  raised  |500 
toward  the  enterprise  from  the  citizens  on  Main 
Street.  When  the  house  was  completed,  he  and 
John  Crider  preached  there,  alternately,  every 
four  weeks,  in  the  German  language.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  great  revival,  which  added  both  to  the 
membership  and  character  of  the  Church,  and 
made  it  a  permanent  fixture  in  all  the  future  of 
the  town.  This  house  of  worship  met  the  needs 
of  the  congregation  until  1852,  when  a  larger  one 
was  erected  in  its  place,  which  served  for  about 
thirty  years  more,  which  was  supplanted  by  a 
third  structure  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  J. 
P.  Miller.  The  congregation  continued  to  grow, 
until  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  W.  H.  Wash- 
inger,  D.  D.,  a  fourth  structure  was  erected  on 
the  ground,  in  1900,  at  a  cost  of  about  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  present  membership  is  1113, 
and  the  Sunday  school  enrollment  1563. 

About  the  time  the  Chambersburg  church  was 
founded,  or  a  little  earlier,  perhaps,  an  organi- 

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Our  Heroes^  or 

zation  was  effected  at  Greencastle,  which  has 
ever  since  been  one  of  the  permanent  charges  of 
the  conference. 

In  1821  Mr.  Huber  was  a  member  of  the 
General  Conference,  which  was  held  in  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio.  The  journey  was  made  on  horse- 
back. Joseph  Hoffman  and  G.  A.  Geeting  were 
his  traveling  companions.  After  a  trip  of  eight 
days,  the  place  of  meeting  was  reached.  Evi- 
dently things  did  not  go  to  suit  him,  for  he 
writes:  "There  was  much  sparring  among  the 
members.  All  could  not  see  eye  to  eye  on  the 
different  questions  which  came  up  for  consider- 
ation. This  gave  rise  to  considerable  debate. 
But  after  much  steam  had  been  spent  through 
the  vocal  powers  by  thrusts  and  rejoinders,  the 
conference  closed  its  session  in  peace  and  har- 
mony." The  "sparring,"  no  doubt  occurred  over 
the  questions  of  slavery  and  rum,  for  on  both 
strong  resolutions  were  proposed  and  adopted. 

At  the  close  of  the  conference,  a  three-days' 
meeting  was  held,  when  the  delegates  from  the 
East  departed  for  their  homes,  preaching  at 
various  points  along  the  way  where  appoint- 
ments had  been  arranged.  After  an  absence  of 
five  weeks,  Mr.  Huber  reached  home,  weary,  of 
course,  and  somewhat  out  of  pocket  in  hard  cash, 
as  he  had  received  only  three  dollars  for  his 
traveling  expenses.  But  he  made  no  complaint. 
The  thought  of  financial  support,  it  appears, 
never  entered  his  mind.    He  earned  a  living  in 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

another  way.  He  assures  us  in  his  autobiog- 
raphy that  for  all  his  services  as  missionary  and 
presiding  elder  he  never  received  so  much  as 
twenty  dollars.  Such  a.  policy,  however,  was 
wrong,  and  at  the  end  of  forty  years,  he  so  con- 
fessed. After  referring  to  what  he  had  himself 
done,  he  adds  this  comment:  "I  hold  that  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel  should  be  supported  by 
the  gospel,  providing  he  is  faithful  to  his  call- 
ing." This  is  Paul's  view,  and  needs  renewed 
emphasis  in  all  the  churches  to-day.  Yet  we 
must  say  that  Mr.  Huber's  course,  like  that  of 
so  many  others  of  his  day,  indicates  a  love  for 
soul-winning,  and  a  devotion  to  the  kingdom 
which  challenges  our  admiration  and  heightens 
our  appreciation  of  what  he  did. 

In  those  early  times  the  special  meetings  con- 
tinued only  a  few  days,  but  the  people  who  at- 
tended remained,  for  the  most  part,  on  the 
ground  from  the  opening  service  until  the  final 
doxology  was  sung.  The  brother  at  whose  house, 
or  in  whose  grove,  the  meeting  was  held,  would 
kill  a  beef,  lay  in  a.  large  supply  of  flour,  meal, 
and  potatoes,  and  feed  anywhere  from  twenty- 
five  to  seventy-five  persons  three  times  a  day.  If 
the  crowd  was  too  great,  a  neighbor  or  two  would 
join  in  the  entertainment,  and  thus  help  him  out. 
By  such  a  plan,  services  of  one  kind  or  another 
were  kept  going  the  most  of  the  time  from  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  ten  at  night.     And 

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Our  Heroes  J  or 

how  blessed  the  fellowship  was !  Such  generous 
hospitality  never  failed  to  bring  its  benedictions. 

Bishop  Newcomer  once  suggested  to  a  brother, 
whose  home  was  a  gathering  place  for  preachers 
and  others,  that  possibly  the  people  were  over- 
doing it  in  staying  with  him  in  such  large  num- 
bers. But  the  reply  was:  "If  you  want  me  to 
get  rich  in  the  world,  just  send  as  many  people 
as  you  can.  I  will  entertain  them  free  of  charge 
and  be  glad  to  do  it."  And  it  is  a  matter  of  rec- 
ord that  his  worldly  holdings  continued  to  in- 
crease, and  he  was  made  to  realize  the  truth  of 
the  promise,  "He  that  giveth  to  the  poor,  lendeth 
to  the  Lord,  and  that  which  he  hath  given  him, 
shall  be  returned  to  him  again."  Those  who  thus 
took  the  people  in  and  fed  them  were  abundantly 
rewarded  in  seeing  sinners  converted  and  the 
Church  enlarged.  The  complaint  often  heard 
to-day  that  the  hospitality  of  a  half  century  ago 
is  no  longer  in  evidence,  is  not  altogether  with- 
out foundation.  Fine  dwellings  and  upholstered 
furniture  really  seem  to  be  against  the  idea  of 
entertainment.  In  plain  English,  selfishness,  in 
too  many  instances,  even  among  church  people, 
so  predominates  that  they  can  scarcely  be  per- 
suaded to  receive  their  brethren,  much  less  the 
stranger. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  the  camp-meeting  was  the  most  popular 
of  all  religious  convocations.  It  was  a  rallying 
point  for  Christians,  and  a  recruiting  station  for 
the  kingdom.     From  the  middle  of  June  to  the 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

first  of  October,  the  time  was  largely  occupied 
in  holding  such  gatherings.  Mr.  Huber  was 
especially  adapted  to  these  occasions.  He  re- 
lates many  interesting  incidents  which  occurred 
in  connection  with  them  which  indicate  not  only 
the  spirit  and  purpose  of  the  fathers,  but  show, 
as  well,  some  of  the  hardships  they  endured  and 
the  dangers  they  braved. 

The  country  being  but  sparsely  settled,  the 
camp-meeting  afforded  opportunity  for  the 
bringing  together  of  Christian  people  from  all 
the  communities  round  about.  Many  parents 
brought  their  children  with  the  hope  of  seeing 
them  converted.  No  better  place  could  be  found 
they  thought,  for  the  winning  of  souls.  Then, 
what  preaching  they  heard!  Far-famed  pul- 
piteers were  sure  to  be  on  hand,  and  so  the  occa- 
sion was  looked  forward  to  with  keenest  interest. 
At  nearly  every  service  there  was  a  strange 
mingling  of  penitential  pleadings  and  triumph- 
ant shouts,  of  holy  song  and  fervid  appeal.  It  is 
related  of  Bishop  Otterbein  that  in  his  last 
years  he  was  preaching  near  Hagerstown,  jNIary- 
land,  one  Sabbath,  when  his  strength  so  failed 
that  he  could  not  make  himself  heard  by  the 
great  audience.  Suddenly  he  paused,  extended 
his  arms  heavenward,  and  exclaimed,  "O  Lord 
God,  if  I  am  thy  servant,  assist  and  strengthen 
me  once  more  to  declare  thy  truth."  In  answer 
to  the  prayer  he  felt  himself  quickened,  and 
appeared  like  a  "flame  of  fire"  during  the  closing 
part  of  his  discourse.    An  old  sinner  who  heard 

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Our  Heroes y  or 

him,  afterwards  said :  "That  sermon  went  home 
to  my  heart.  I  never  rested  until  my  soul  was 
converted  to  God." 

Much  more  might  be  said  respecting  the  worth 
of  Samuel  Huber  to  the  United  Brethren  Church 
in  its  beginnings,  but  the  incidents  recited  in  the 
foregoing  chapter,  partly  from  his  own  pen  and 
partly  from  other  witnesses,  wdll  suffice  to  show 
the  reader  something  of  his  real  worth,  and  the 
praise  that  such  a  character  merits.  It  is  a 
pleasure  to  prepare  and  present  to  the  Church 
in  permanent  form  this  new  outline  of  his  life 
and  labors,  with  the  assurance  that  it  will  be 
read  and  appreciated  by  many  a  devout  soul  in 
the  years  to  come. 

His  sun  had  a  cloudless  setting.  After  a  long 
life  of  eighty-six  years,  more  than  a  half  century 
of  which  was  given  to  the  ministry,  like  Jacob 
he  "yielded  up  the  ghost,  and  was  gathered  to 
his  people."  This  sublime  event  occurred  July 
12,  1868.  How  the  saved  hero  must  have  en- 
joyed heaven  when  once  there  with  Newcomer 
and  Russell,  Hoffman  and  Erb,  Bear  and  Rine- 
hart,  and  the  multitudes  who  had  been  saved 
through  his  messages  of  reconciliation !  Rev. 
James  Bishop,  for  a  long  time  a  trusted  friend 
and  companion  in  toil,  preached  the  funeral 
sermon  and  laid  his  dust  away  in  the  Salem 
church  cemetery,  near  Rocky  Spring,  where  sleep 
the  remains  of  Daniel  Funkhouser,  and  others, 
who,  with  him,  rendered  such  splendid  service 
for  their  Lord. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

"Yes,  our  hero's  course  is  run; 
Ended  is  the  glorious  strife ; 
Fought  the  fight,  the  work  is  done; 
Death  is  swallowed  up  in  life." 


89 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JACOB  ERB. 

Pioneer  Organizer  in  East  Pennsylvania. 

I 
The  mantle  of  the  fathers  is  not  a  gift  to  be 

inherited  by  human  transmission.  Elijah  could 
not  himself  bequeath  his  spirit  to  Elisha.  Nev- 
ertheless, the  student  of  biography,  who  comes 
to  admire  the  salient  features  of  a  great  life, 
will  inevitably  partake  in  some  measure  of  its 
spirit  and  character.  The  test  by  which  Elisha 
may  know  is  that  of  spiritual  insight.  And  he 
has  his  wish.  Through  rending  sky  and  cloud, 
he  catches  a  glimpse  of  his  translated  master. 
He  has  dared  the  awful  vision,  and  at  his  feet 
falls  the  symbol  of  inherited  power,  the  rough 
mantle  of  the  ascended  prophet.  If  we  can 
glimpse  the  glory  of  a  great  life,  we  have  en* 
tered  into  some  inheritance  of  its  greatness. 

About  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century 
two  pioneer  families  settled  in  Lancaster 
County,  Pennsylvania.  In  the  providence  of 
God  they  were  destined  to  become  famous  in 
the  annals  of  United  Brethrenism.  The  heads 
of  these  families  were  Christian  Erb  and 
Abraham  Hershey,  natives  of  Switzerland,  the 
former  having  reached  our  shores  in  1736,  when 
but  a  child  of  three  summers,  and  the  latter  in 
1759,  when  in  the  strength  of  mature  manhood. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

These  families  were  neighbors.  Together  they 
engaged  in  the  conquests  of  the  wilderness, 
which  was  still  traversed  by  semi-civilized  tribes 
of  Indians.  When  the  pioneer  missionaries 
came  to  this  community,  they  were  gladly  wel- 
comed, and  public  worship  was  established.  The 
young  people  of  these  families  were  friends  and 
associates.  Under  those  circumstances  it  is  not 
strange  that  an  attachment  w^as  formed  between 
Christian  Erb,  Jr.,  and  Elizabeth  Hershey  that 
would  ripen  in  holy  wedlock.  Elizabeth  was 
the  youngest  daughter  of  Abraham  Hershey, 
and  was  noted  for  her  beauty.  Her  brothers. 
Christian  and  Abraham,  Jr.,  were  among  the 
most  noted  of  our  Church  fathei-^  and  pioneer 
missionaries. 

Born  in  the  forest,  inured  to  its  hardships, 
with  habits  of  industry.  Christian  Erb  and  his 
beautiful  young  wife  built  a  home  and  dedicated 
it  to  Jehovah.  This  was  probably  between  1786 
and  1790.  Here  was  subsequently  established 
a  regular  preaching  place  for  United  Brethren 
ministers.  On  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  May, 
1804,  God  gave  to  these  parents  a  son — the 
fifth  of  a  family  of  several  children.  He 
was  destined  to  become  a  channel  of  blessing 
and  a  constructive  force  in  the  building  of  a 
great  denomination.  To  his  heroic  life,  so  useful 
in  its  achievements,  and  so  morally  inspiring — 
covering  a  creative  ministry  of  more  than  sixty 
years,  this  chapter  is  devoted. 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

In  the  year  1810,  when  the  little  son,  Jacob, 
was  six  years  of  age,  his  parents  moved  to 
Cumberland  County,  and  settled  on  a  tract  of 
land  located  on  the  banks  of  the  Susquehanna, 
opposite  Harrisburg.  With  the  majestic  flow 
of  the  splendid  river  often  before  his  eyes,  the 
boy  toiled  with  his  father  on  the  little  farm 
until  he  reached  his  sixteenth  year.  He  was 
constitutionally  and  most  delicately  responsive 
to  religious  influences.  His  mother  was  his  one 
earliest  teacher,  a  woman  of  sound  judgment 
and  who  loved  her  Church.  She  probably  knew 
nothing  of  child  psychology,  as  taught  in  our 
day,  but  she  succeeded  admirably  in  training 
her  son  for  Christ  and  the  Church.  In  1820, 
at  a  meeting  in  their  own  home,  it  was  the  joy 
of  this  father  and  mother  to  see  their  devoted 
son  definitely  yield  his  life  to  God  and  unite 
with  the  Church.  He  was  now  in  his  sixteenth 
year.  His  call  to  the  ministry  immediately 
followed. 

The  same  year  a  great  sorrow  came  upon  the 
home  in  the  death  of  the  father.  Many  extra 
cares  now  came  upon  the  son,  whose  devotion 
to  his  mother  was  beautiful.  They  subsequently 
moved  to  Wormleysburg,  where  regular  preach- 
ing was  still  maintained  in  the  home.  The 
following  year  he  hired  to  his  brother-in-law, 
Samuel  Eberely,  and  worked  on  the  farm.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  was  a  diligent  student  of  the 
Bible.  He  would  frequently  place  before  him 
on  the  plow  a  passage  of  Scripture  and  commit 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

it  to  memory.  When  in  liis  seventeenth  year, 
young  Erb  began  to  hold  public  meetings. 
In  his  eighteenth  3^ear,  he  yielded  to  the 
entreaties  of  Fathers  Hershey  and  Neidig 
to  give  himself  fully  to  the  itinerant  work. 
To  this  his  mother  heartily  consented,  even 
though  it  meant  to  her  a  gTeat  sacrifice. 
In  1823,  when  in  his  nineteenth  year,  he  joined 
the  Hagerstown  Conference,  and  was  appointed 
to  the  Lancaster  Circuit,  a  charge  then  having 
thirty  appointments.  In  his  zeal  to  spread  the 
work,  the  number  of  preaching  places  was  in- 
creased to  forty  before  the  close  of  the  con- 
ference year. 

Mr.  Erb  entered  upon  his  life-work  with  the 
heritage  of  a  good  name,  a  good  ancestry,  and 
a  good  atmosphere.  Courageous,  and  hopeful,  he 
went  forth  to  his  first  circuit  and  a  destina- 
tion larger  than  the  golden  dreams  of  his  youth. 
To  breathe  the  pure  air  of  God's  heavens,  as  it 
spread  over  the  mountains  and  valleys  of 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  to  look  year  after 
year  upon  the  hills  whence  come  man's  help,  is 
to  be  favored  of  God.  ,  Enthusiasm  amid  such 
scenes  and  under  such  conditions  is  normal.  A 
singing  faith,  a  belief  in  large  truth,  a  readiness 
to  dare  great  things  for  God,  are  met  amid  such 
surroundings,  even  among  the  unhonored  and 
unknown.  "He  was  a  foe  to  enthusiam,"  wrote 
an  old  Puritan  over  the  tomb  of  his  friend  on 
Copp's  Hill,  Boston.  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
neither  the  man  who  wrote  the  sentence  nor  the 

93 


Our  Heroes,  or 

man  whose  virtues  he  sought  to  describe  came 
from  nature's  temples.  Happy  the  pastor  even 
to-day,  who  has  in  his  church  men  from  God's 
out-of-doors,  away  from  the  beaten  path  of  the 
tourist;  the  land  of  dreams  and  visions.  Through 
the  years  of  his  childhood,  youth,  and  young 
manhood  Jacob  Erb  lived  amid  such  scenes.  He 
was  indeed  a  child  of  nature. 

In  1824,  the  second  year  of  his  itinerant  min- 
istry, he  was  appointed  to  Hagerstown  Circuit 
as  junior  preacher  with  Rev.  Henry  Burtner. 
The  following  year  he  was  returned  to  Lancaster 
Circuit,  where  he  opened  a  mission  in  a  terri- 
tory not  far  from  Philadelphia.  The  tasks  and 
sacrifices  of  those  three  years  would  severely 
test  the  consecration  and  heroism  of  a  young 
man  just  passing  out  of  his  teens.  One  of  his 
contemporaries  gives  the  following  picture  of 
what  the  work  of  the  missionary  involved  at  that 
time: 

"In  those  days  our  services  were  held  in 
private  houses,  barns,  and  groves.  I  do  not 
recollect  that  there  was  one  meeting-house  in 
Cumberland  Valley,  except  at  Schropps,  The 
circuits  were  large  and  our  members  but  sparsely 
settled  throughout  the  country.  Our  circuit 
embraced  part  of  Frederick  and  Washington 
Counties,  in  Maryland,  and  part  of  Franklin 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  had  no  less  than 
thirty  appointments.  It  required  four  weeks  to 
make  the  round.  At  this  time  all  east  of  the 
Susquehanna  River  was  called   the  Lancaster 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Circuit.  The  preachers  often  had  very  long 
rides  to  reach  their  appointments,  and  often 
through  very  inclement  weather,  but  they  sel- 
dom disappointed,  unless  they  were  sick.  It 
was  common  for  our  people  to  go  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  to  a  protracted  meeting,  and  many 
would  walk  this  distance.  At  these  meetings 
the  beds  were  spread  upon  the  floor  and  people 
were  quartered  around  the  room. 

"The  preachers  had  but  little  time  to  read; 
some  got  but  little,  others  no  pay.  I  remember 
hearing  one  say,  who  is  yet  living,  (this  was  in 
1858)  that  he  was  out  of  pocket  for  his  preaching 
|900.  I  heard  George  Geeting  (soU;  of  the 
bishop)  tell  my  parents  with  tears  that  he  was 
traveling  his  first  round  on  his  circuit  when  he 
heard  of  his  father's  death.  He  said  he  was 
never  more  anxious  to  see  him  than  at  that  time, 
but  of  that  pleasure  he  was  deprived;  but  al- 
though it  was  a  trial  he  was  submissive  to  the 
will  of  God  and  received  the  descending  mantle 
of  his  sainted  father." 

In  the  autumn  of  1825,  when  only  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  Mr.  Erb  responded  to  a  call  for 
missionary  work  in  New  York  and  Canada. 
Four  hundred  miles  stretched  between  him  and 
the  farthest  point  of  his  mission  field.  Alone, 
with  his  knapsack  on  his  back,  the  young  mis- 
sionary journeyed  on  foot,  like  his  Master  be- 
fore him.  He  chanced  to  be  in  Rochester 
October  25,  1825,  when  the  water  was  first  let 
into  the  Erie  Canal.     There  were  no  railroads. 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

The  stagecoaches  were  few  that  rolled  their  way 
for  the  most  part  over  wretched  roads,  often 
mud-deep  to  the  hubs.  It  was  indeed  a  school 
of  hardship  through  which  the  young  hero  was 
now  passing.  He  had  but  a  few  dollars  in  his 
pocket,  and  no  missionary  society  back  of  him^ 
to  bear  his  expenses.  Many  days  must  pass  be- 
fore he  reaches  Canada,  and  when  he  shall  reach 
it,  there  is  no  chapel  for  him,  nor  a  single 
United  Brethren  home  to  give  him  welcome. 
There  are  places  Avhere  there  is  not  the  sem- 
blance of  a  road  to  guide  him.  He  must  find  the 
trail  through  dense  forests,  and  follow  the  path 
through  flooded  fields;  but  he  fearlessly  presses 
on.  His  lodging  place  is  frequently  a  poverty- 
stricken  cabin,  with  food  of  the  coarsest  kind. 
After  leaving  Buffalo,  he  was  accompanied  part 
of  the  way  by  his  cousin,  the  Kev.  Jacob  G. 
Erb. 

Some  experiences  of  the  journey  were,  no 
doubt,  delightful  because  of  the  young  man's 
admiration  of  nature.  His  warm  and  passionate 
heart  must  often  have  greatly  relished  the  un- 
tamed nature  in  which  he  was  moving;  but  little 
did  he  dream  how  those  grand  horizons,  those 
mighty  trees  with  their  robust  foliage,  those 
living  streams,  untainted  by  the  mar  of  civili- 
zation, were  depositing  in  his  soul  materials 
to  be  used  in  the  temple  of  God  in  a  later  day. 
He  was  also  encouraged  by  the  good  he  was  able 
to  accomplish.  Wherever  he  went,  like  the 
apostles  of  old,  he  talked  with  the  people  and 

96 


JACOB     ERB 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

preached  to  them  as  he  had  opportunity,  seeking 
in  every  way  to  win  them  to  Christ.  To  the 
results  of  his  labors  that  year  and  subsequently, 
many  churches  in  northwestern  New  York  and 
Canada  still  bear  testimony. 

Mr.  Erb  was  richly  endowed  with  the  gifts 
and  graces  that  make  a  great  missionary,  and 
he  used  the'n  with  apostolic  zeal  and  courage. 
He  also  possessed  the  elements  of  a  great  or- 
ganizer and  builder,  which  was  the  type  of 
leadership  a  time  like  that  demanded.  He  be- 
came one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  influ- 
ential of  the  fathers  in  shaping  the  policy  of  the 
Church  at  a  time  when  the  glowing  itinerant 
evangelism  had  reached  a  period  which  de- 
manded a  more  elaborate  organization  for  the 
preservation  of  its  unity,  and  the  multiplica- 
tion of  its  usefulness.  When  he  began  his  min- 
istry the  organization  of  the  Church  was  ex- 
tremely simple,  and  was  directed  mainly  to 
securing  the  most  effective  evangelism.  Its 
preachers  went  far  and  near  calling  men  to 
repentance  and  gaining  converts  by  the  hun- 
dreds. It  soon  became  a  serious  question  how 
to  preserve  this  ever-increasing  power,  and  turn 
it  to  the  largest  effectiveness  in  the  kingdom  of 
God. 

Mr.  Erb  was  a  true  disciple  of  Newcomer  in 
his  zeal  to  conserve  to  the  denomination  the  re- 
sults of  its  toil,  and  to  organize  and  train  the 
new  "societies"  of  converts  for  Christian  service 
in  the  United  Brethren    Church.     He    believed 

97 


Our  Heroes,  or 

with  a  distinguished  churchman  of  more  modern 
times,  that  "it  is  just  as  important  to  know  how 
to  use  and  appropriate  a  victory  as  it  is  to  know 
how  to  win  a  victory."  In  "Landmark  History 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church,"  Doctor  Eberly 
gives  the  following  instance  of  Mr.  Erb'vS  denom- 
inational loyalt^^,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age.  It  was  the  year  follow- 
ing his  conversion,  when  he  was  engaged  in 
holding  meetings  in  private  homes :  "To  those 
meetings  came  quite  a  number  of  people  who 
had  been  converted,  but  still  retained  member- 
ship where  there  was  opposition  to  prayer- 
meetings,  and  hostility  against  revivals  of  re- 
ligion. On  a  certain  evening  when  returning  from 
prayer-meeting,  young  Erb  entered  into  contro- 
versy with  great  zeal  on  this  subject  with  Jacob 
Coover,  a  most  excellent  i  Christian  gentleman, 
who  was  very  reluctant  to  sever  the  bonds  of  his 
church  union.  Mr.  Coover  said,  'If  I  have  a 
light  to  guide  a  company  over  a  dangerous  road 
on  a  dark  night,  am  I  justified  in  taking  that 
light  away  from  them?'  To  this  Mr.  Erb  re- 
sponded, 'If  that  company  be  composed  of  people 
who  appreciate  the  light,  it  would  be  very  wrong 
to  remove  it;  if  the  company  be  constructed  of 
persons  without  discretion,  or  wielding  a 
bludgeon  right  and  left,  liable  at  any  moment 
to  extinguish  that  light,  and  placing  yourself 
in  the  dark  with  them,  better  get  out.'  And  Mr. 
Coover,  not  long  afterward,  did  get  out.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  resident  of  Mechanicsburg, 

98 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

the  first  member  of  our  Church  in  that  town, 
around  whom  others  gathered  and  a  society  was 
formed  in  old  Union  Church,  which  with  the 
years  has  grown  into  the  present  large  con- 
gregation." 

Mr.  Erb  is  distinguished  as  the  founder  of 
the  organized  work  of  the  Church  east  of  the 
Susquehanna  River.  To  him  belongs  the  honor 
of  having  organized  the  first  United  Brethren 
class  in  the  territoi-y  on  which  is  now  located 
the  East  Pennsylvania  Conference,  a  territory 
sacred  to  every  loyal  United  Brethren,  because 
it  contains  the  spiritual  birthplace  of  the  de- 
nomination. Classes  had  been  formed  west  of 
the  river  several  years  prior  to  this  time.  It 
was  in  the  year  1827  when  this  first  organization 
was  effected.  The  place  was  called  Sherk's  Old 
Meeting-House,  located  in  the  northwestern 
portion  of  Lebanon  County,  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  east  of  Grantville,  Dauphin  County. 

The  Lancaster  Circuit  originally  included  the 
greater  portion  of  the  present  conference  terri- 
tory. Here  others  of  the  fathers  preceding  Mr. 
Erb  toiled  with  great  success  in  evangelistic 
work.  While  the  converts  were  in  a  sense  rec- 
ognized as  members  of  the  Church,  they  had 
refused  to  be  organized  into  classes.  Referring 
to  these  conditions,  Lawrence,  in  his  Church 
history,  says:  "Numbers  of  those  who,  by  the 
attraction  of  divine  love,  formed  themselves 
into  United  Brethren  societies,  refused  to  have 
their  names  recorded  in  a  church  book,  and  were 

99 


Our  Heroes,  or 

slow  to  submit  to  any  discipline  except  the  New 
Testament."  Mr.  Erb  set  himself  to  the  task  of 
changing  these  conditions,  and  preparing  the 
"societies"  for  formal  organization  and  indi- 
vidual enrollment  in  the  Church  membership. 
He  was  yet  a  young  man,  twenty-three  years  of 
age,  with  but  four  years'  experience  in  the  min- 
istry, but  he  was  the  child  of  the  hour,  and 
God  gave  him  strength  equal  to  the  task.  It 
was  a  mount  of  victory  as  well  as  vision,  when, 
"by  the  consent  of  some  of  the  older  brethren," 
he  announced  to  a  great  Lord's  day  audience 
that  on  the  following  evening  the  people  would 
be  given  an  opportunity  to  formally  unite  with 
the  Church.  It  was,  indeed,  a  mount  of  blessing 
when  on  Monday  evening,  in  the  presence  of  a 
great  audience,  a  goodly  company  came  forward 
and  were  received  into  church  membership. 
From  that  organization  has  grown  a  conference, 
the  largest  numerically,  and  one  of  the  wealth- 
iest and  most  influential,  in  the  denomination. 
Mr.  Erb  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Elder  John 
Winebrenner,  founder  of  "The  Church  of  God." 
As  early  as  1826  they  were  associated  in  evan- 
gelistic work.  When  Mr.  Winebrenner  changed 
his  views  on  church  matters,  he  requested  his 
friend  Erb  to  baptize  him  by  immersion.  On 
the  Sabbath  appointed  for  the  service,  Mr.  Erb 
filled  an  appointment  on  his  circuit  in  the  morn- 
ing, then  rode  to  Harrisburg,  a  distance  of 
fifteen  miles,  arriving  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.     A  large  congregation  assembled  in 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

the  bethel,  on  Mulberry  Street,  where  Mr.  Wine- 
brenner  preached  what  is  now  known  as  "the 
1830  sermon  on  baptism."  Immediately  after 
the  preaching,  and  between  three  and  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  they  proceeded  to  the 
Susquehanna  Elver,  and  Mr.  Erb  baptized  him, 
just  above  where  the  railroad  bridge  now  stands. 
This  occurred  on  Sunday,  July  4,  1830. 

Prom  the  beginning  of  his  ministry,  Mr.  Erb 
performed  his  work  faithfully,  and  filled  with 
marked  success  every  position  to  which  he  was 
assigned.  His  superior  ability  and  qualities  of 
leadership  were  early  recognized.  In  1829, 
when  but  twenty-four  years  of  age,  he  was 
elected  delegate  to  the  General  Conference, 
which  convened  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio.  The 
Church  was  now  entering  upon  the  thirtieth 
year  of  her  history.  Her  larger  mission  was  at 
hand.  The  conference  was  one  of  those  historic 
occasions  when  men  chosen  of  God  begin  to 
realize  that  they  are  facing  a  mission  of  vast 
magnitude.  It  is  a  mount  of  revelation,  where 
God's  plans,  and  purposes  concerning  the  build- 
ing of  the  denomination  are  made  clear.  Certain 
propagandic  institutions  now  became  a  neces- 
sity. In  1833  Mr.  Erb  again  represented  his 
conference  in  the  General  Conference,  at  which 
time  definite  steps  were  taken  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  denominational  publishing  house. 

After  the  death  of  Bishop  Newcomer  in  1830, 
it  is  probable  that  no  one  of  his  immediate  suc- 
cessors was  more  influential    in    shaping    and 

101 


Our  Heroes,  or 

directing  the  policy  of  the  Church  in  the  Cum- 
berland Valley  than  was  Mr.  Erb.  His  intimate 
friend  and  associate  in  the  work  was  Bishop 
William  Brown,  who  was  eight  years  his  senior. 
In  1837  he  was  elected  to  the  bishopric ;  in  184:5 
he  was  elected  editor  of  a  German  paper,  pub- 
lished in  Baltimore,  entitled,  "Busy  Martha;" 
in  1849  he  was  again  elected  to  the  office  of 
bishop.  For  a  period  of  twelve  years  he  served 
in  this  relation  with  marked  ability.  His 
familiarity  with  the  work  to  be  done,  his  trained 
knowledge  of  men,  his  quick  perception,  his 
wise  practical  judgment,  his  full-mindedness, 
his  heroic  moral  courage,  his  superior  con- 
scientiousness, and  his  unselfish  consecration  to 
the  interests  of  the  Church — all  these  qualities 
in  him  were  so  well  blended  and  balanced  as  to 
make  him  an  able  administrator.  While  gentle 
and  loving  in  disposition,  he  was,  at  the  same 
time,  a  strong  character,  a  wise  counsellor,  and 
a  forceful  executive,  prompt  to  decide,  when  a 
prompt  decision  was  necessary,  and,  as  a  par- 
liamentary officer,  presiding  over  an  annual 
or  general  conference,  he  was  always  able  and 
skillful.  He  was  always  approachable,  brotherly, 
and  companionable,  a  bishop  to  whom  could  go 
the  humblest  minister  or  the  plainest  layman 
with  the  assurance  that  he  would  be  graciously 
received,  and  that  his  cause  would  have  careful 
and  kindly  consideration.  He  was  truly  an 
apostolic  bishop,  ever  presenting  a  good  example 
and  constantly  performing  noble  work. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Bishop  Erb  was  regarded  as  a  forceful 
preacher  both  in  German  and  in  English.  He 
was  always  listened  to  with  interest  because 
there  was  thought  in  what  he  had  to  say.  His 
sermons  were  sound  in  doctrine,  affectionate  in 
spirit,  and  direct  and  pungent  in  application. 
As  pastor  he  was  tender  and  fatherly.  In  1846, 
when  pastor  of  the  Otterbein  Church  in  Balti- 
more, an  effort  was  made  to  wrest  the  property 
from  the  denomination.  Again  the  hero,  with 
his  characteristic  tact,  grace,  and  statesmanlike 
diplomacy,  proves  himself  equal  to  the  occasion. 
For  a  time  the  doors  were  closed  against  him, 
his  support  was  reduced  to  a  mere  pittance,  and 
his  life  was  endangered.  But  the  sturdy  pilot 
stood  faithfully  at  his  post,  as  had  been  his 
custom  in  every  emergency  and  duty,  until  the 
twelfth  day  of  November,  in  the  same  year, 
when  the  courts  ruled  in  his  favor,  and  the 
property  was  saved  to  tlie  denomination. 

Immediately  the  house  was  put  in  order  for 
worship.  One  who  was  present  at  the  opening 
says:  "On  Sunday  morning  the  long-silenced 
bells  began  to  ring,  once  more  inviting  friend 
and  foe,  as  in  days  gone  by,  to  come  to  the 
house  of  the  Lord.  This  was  a  solemn  hour. 
As  far  as  the  sound  of  those  bells  could  be 
heard,  you  could  see  old  and  young,  white  and 
black,  standing  in  doors  or  looking  out  of  the 
windows,  gazing  toward  the  steeple  of  Otterbein 
Church,  trying  to  convince  their  minds  with  the 
eye  what  the  ear  could  not  accomplish,  and  when 

103 


Our  Heroes,  or 

you  met  with  a  brother  or  sister,  you  could  see 
the  tears  of  gratitude  rolling  down  their 
cheeks,  and  the  first  utterance  was,  'Thank  the 
Lord !'  Bishop  Erb  preached  from  Psalms  40 : 
14,  15.  I  never  witnessed  such  a  scene  in  a 
congregation  before.  Smiles  of  joy  on  every 
countenance  mingled  with  tears  in  every  eye. 
Then,  each  humbling  himself  before  God,  who 
is  mighty  to  save,  pouring  out  sincere  prayers 
to  the  throne  of  grace,  implored  the  Lord  to 
forgive  their  enemies,  that  they  might  be 
brought  from  darkness  to  light  and  see  that 
they  who  fight  against  His  people  are  warring 
against  the  Mighty  One  in  Israel."  Bishop 
Russell  and  his  wife  were  present  and  witnessed 
this  service. 

A  daughter,  Mrs.  T.  A.  Bash,  of  Chicago,  to 
whom  the  author  is  indebted  for  valuable  items 
concerning  the  life  of  her  noble  father,  says, 
"Father  frequently  made  the  remark  in  the  home 
circle  that  in  his  church  relations  he  had  served 
in  every  position,  from  janitor  to  bishop."  In 
all  of  these  he  discharged  his  duties  conscien- 
tiously, and  all  who  knew  him  reposed  in  him  the 
most  implicit  confidence.  The  marked  heroic 
element  in  his  character  is  especially  seen  in  the 
twenty-two  years  of  his  itinerant  life.  He  had 
the  evangelistic  spirit  in  an  intense  degree,  and 
the  spread  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  was  to 
him  paramount  to  all  things  else.  Many  hard- 
ships and  privations  were  endured  on  the  long 
and     perilous     journeys    made    on     horseback 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

through  New  York,  Ohio,  and  Canada.  He 
served  as  presiding  elder  seven  years,  as  agent 
three  years,  and  as  bishop  twelve  years.  In 
1869,  because  of  failing  health,  after  almost  a 
half  century  of  heroic  toil,  it  became  necessary 
for  him  to  retire  from  active  service.  His 
counsel  and  help,  however,  were  constantly 
sought,  and  generously  given  when  his  strength 
admitted,  during  the  closing  years  of  his  life. 
He  possessed  a  great  talent  in  getting  young 
men  of  ability  to  enter  the  ministry,  and  re- 
joiced in  their  success.  Farther  than  any  his- 
torian will  ever  be  able  to  trace,  his  lofty  ideals 
and  the  might  of  his  spirit  have  gone  into  the 
making  of  the  Church.  The  man  is  greater  than 
his  deeds,  and  the  power  of  his  life  is  pulsing 
in  institutions  and  lives  where  his  name  and 
his  deeds  are  rarely  mentioned. 

His  school  advantages  were  very  limited,  but, 
by  dint  of  hard  work  and  close  application,  he 
attained  a.  good  education,  especially  in  the 
German.  The  discipline  of  his  early  years, 
under  the  oversight  of  some  of  the  Church 
fathers,  was  for  him  a  veritable  school  of  the 
prophets.  In  later  years  he  deplored  his  want 
of  college  privileges  in  his  youth.  He  was  a 
friend  and  promoter  of  higher  education.  From 
1860  to  1863  he  gave  himself  exclusively  to 
Otterbein  University  as  agent  and  trustee.  Later 
he  was  connected  with  Cottage  Hill  Seminary, 
an  institution  for  the  higher  training  of  young 
women,  located  at  York,  Pennsylvania.    Doctor 

105 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Thompson,  in  "Our  Bishops,"  says  of  him:  "He 
favored  colleges,  Sabath  schools,  and  everything 
that  looked  like  enterprise  and  growth.  In  this 
respect  he  was  in  advance  of  many  of  his 
brethren.  The  Church  did  not  move  forward 
and  leave  him  behind." 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  during  his  min- 
istry of  sixty  years  he  never  failed  to  attend  a 
single  session  of  his  conference,  except  the  last„ 
when  the  feebleness  of  old  age  forbade  his  being 
present.  No  one  can  tell  the  struggles  through 
which  the  old  hero  passed,  as  he  felt  that  he 
must  hang  his  sickle  and  battle-ax  on  the  wall, 
and  wait  the  setting  of  the  sun.  The  following 
letter  made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  con- 
ference : 

"I  love  to  look  back  and  see  the  progress 
which  we  as  a  Church  have  made.  How  our 
brethren  have  pushed  forward  with  the  work  as 
seen  in  the  hundreds  of  churches  built,  the 
thousands  of  members  received,  many  of  whom 
are  already  safe  in  heaven ;  in  the  schools  which 
have  been  founded;  in  the  institutions  of  be- 
nevolences; in  our  Publishing  House — becoming 
every  year  more  and  more  extensive;  and  in  the 
noble  work  of  our  missionary  society.  I  thank 
God  that  I  have  lived  to  see  this  day,  which 
presents  such  grand  monuments  of  the  sub- 
stantial growth  of  the  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ.  As  an  humble  member  of 
this  conference,  I  have  always  tried  to  do  my 
duty.    In  looking  back  I  can  see  where  I  might 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

have  done  better  service,  but  I  console  myself 
with  the  thought  that  I  always  tried  to  bring 
an  honest  heart  to  my  work.  A  kind  Heavenly 
Father  granted  to  me  the  privilege  of  attending 
in  consecutive  order,  sixty  annual  sessions  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Conference.  Could  I  be  pres- 
ent with  you  this  would  be  my  sixty-first.  My 
faith  in  God  is  strong,  my  confidence  in  his 
Word  unshaken,  and  I  know  by  personal  ex- 
perience there  is  a  power  in  true  religion.  The 
future  of  a  blessed  life  is  to  me  full  of  hope  and 
promise.     God  is  my  refuge  and  my  strength." 

In  1836  Bishop  Erb  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Sherk,  of  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Together  they  lived  and  toiled  in  happy  wedded 
love  until  they  were  separated  by  death  in  1883. 
The  home  was  noted  for  its  piety  and  hospitality. 
Bishop  Dickson,  a  life-long  friend  and  associate 
of  the  famil}^,  and  who  officiated  at  the  funeral 
of  Bishop  Erb,  said:  "Every  general  officer  of 
the  Church  knows  the  big  brown  house  at  Shire- 
manstown.  Bishops,  editors,  secretaries,  agents, 
missionaries,  black  and  white,  all  received  a 
hearty  welcome  and  shared  alike  its  hospitality." 
A  daughter  gays :  "Father  gave  all  his  earnings 
to  the  Church.  The  amount  mother  received 
from  home  they  endeavored  to  save  for  their 
support  in  old  age." 

The  bishop  had  a  stout,  manly  frame.  He  was 
five  feet  nine  inches  in  height,  and  weighed  about 
180  pounds.  In  his  personal  bearing  he  was 
dignified.     In   the   genial   Christian   gentleman 

107 


Our  Heroes,  or 

was  manifest  a  perfection  of  character,  which, 
beginning  in  a  pure  and  lovable  youth,  steadily 
developed  and  matured  through  the  after  years. 
His  life  was  one  of  exalted  piety.  He  was  a 
true  brother  of  Baxter,  who  stained  his  study 
walls  with  the  very  breath  of  prayer.  He  was 
never  triflingly  employed.  He  met  the  challenge 
of  the  world's  work  with  a  noble  seriousness, 
and  an  equally  noble  and  lavish  consecration. 
In  his  voice  rang,  and  in  his  eyes  shown,  the  note 
and  glory  of  spiritual  power.  Assurance  and 
joy  of  fellowship  with  God  was  one  of  the  char- 
acteristic notes  of  his  ministry. 

The  evening  of  his  life  was  beautiful  and 
peaceful.  It  was  like  the  half-hour  before  sun- 
set, in  the  midst  of  nature's  grandest  and  most 
majestic  scenery.  Never  were  his  intellectual 
faculties  brighter,  nor  his  spiritual  sense  cleaorer 
than  when  the  day  of  his  life  was  consciously 
closing.  He  spoke  to  his  family  and  friends 
about  him  of  his  great  peace  of  soul.  When 
asked  what  message  he  had  for  the  friends  who 
were  absent,  he  said,  "Tell  them  to  be  faithful 
unto  death."  It  was  on  the  evening  of  April 
29,  1883,  when  his  earthly  day  closed.  His  body 
sleeps  in  Shrapp's  graveyard,  near  Shiremans- 
town,  Pennsylvania. 


108 


CHAPTER  VII. 

JACOB  BACHTEL. 

A  Prominent  Leader  in  the  Virginias. 

No  braver,  truer  man  ever  preached  the  gospel 
annong  the  mountains  of  Virginia  tlian  Jacob 
Bachtel.  While  he  did  not  possess  that  orator- 
ical charm  which  so  marvelously  distinguished 
some  of  his  early  colaborers,  yet  his  sermons 
were  always  scriptural  and  deeply  searched  the 
hearts  of  the  multitudes  that  heard  him.  As  a 
logician  he  was  mighty  in  convincing  the  gain- 
say ers.  In  point  of  judgment,  and  integrity, 
and  courage,  but  few"  were  ever  better  fitted  for 
leadership  than  he. 

His  birth  occurred  in  Washington  County, 
Maryland,  July  7,  1812.  His  parents,  though 
poor,  were  honorable,  and  early  imbued  their 
son  with  the  spirit  of  integrity  and  true  manli- 
ness. His  early  religious  life  was  far  from 
being  satisfactory.  When  but  a  small  boy,  of 
not  more  than  twelve  years,  he  had  the  conviction 
that  if  ever  converted,  preaching  would  be  his 
life  work.  But  that  was  the  one  thing  he  did 
not  want  to  do,  and  his  whole  nature  seemed  to 
revolt  at  the  thought  of  assuming  such  solemn 
obligations  as  attach  to  the  ministry. 

He  says:  "I  was  like  Moses.  I  had  no  confi- 
dence in  myself.    I  did  not  know  that  the  Lord 

109 


Our  Heroes,  or 

could  make  the  dumb  speak;  so  I  disobeyed  the 
heavenly  call  until  I  lost  the  enjoyment  of 
religion,  I  then  felt  awful,  and  frequently 
wandered  to  the  fields  and  mountains  to  weep 
and  pray ;  but  all  seemed  in  vain.  I  went  abroad 
into  the  world  seeking  pleasure,  but  found  none. 
I  then  examined  the  field  of  infidelit3\  I  went 
round  and  round  it,  but  lo !  it  was  like  the  field 
of  the  sluggard;  the  fences  were  broken  down, 
and  it  was  all  grown  up  with  briers.  I  soon 
found  this  was  no  place  for  me  to  seek  happi- 
ness." But,  after  much  doubt  and  caviling,  and 
at  times  deepest  agony  of  soul,  he  made  the  final 
surrender. 

One  night  he  dreamed  that  he  was  far  up  in 
a  high  building  where  there  were  only  a  few 
loose  planks.  In  trying  to  walk  on  one  of  these 
it  tilted,  and  he  was  in  the  act  of  falling.  While 
in  this  perilous  condition  he  looked  up  and  saw 
a  man  clothed  in  white,  and  cried  to  him  most 
earnestly  for  help.  But  the  man  iref used,  saying, 
"You  have  disobeyed  me  so  long  that  I  have  no 
right  to  do  so."  Continuing  his  cry  for  help,  the 
man  finally  promised,  "If  you  will  pledge  obedi- 
ence to  me  in  the  future  I  will  save  you."  When 
the  vow  had  been  made,  he  was  lifted  out  of  his 
danger.  While  ^Ir.  Bachtel  was  far  from  being 
superstitious,  yet  the  dream  seriously  impressed 
him.  "The  next  morning,"  he  said,  "I  thought 
of  my  vision  and  concluded  I  had  disobeyed  God, 
and  despised  his  goodness  so  long,  that  if  I  did 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

not  repent,  he  could  cut  me  off  and  send  me  to 
hell;  for  I  consider  this  the  last  call  I  should 
ever  have."  A  long  period  of  restlessness  fol- 
lowed this  dream.  He  could  not  get  away  from 
it,  for  at  every  turn,  in  imagination,  he  saw  the 
man  in  white,  and  heard  the  words  of  his  just 
reproach. 

One  day  as  he  was  passing  along  the  highway, 
there  came  to  him  such  a  desire  for  prayer  that 
he  crossed  the  fence  into  a  cornfield  where  no 
eye  but  God's  could  see  him,  and  there  poured 
out  before  high  heaven  the  deepest,  bitterest 
sorrows  of  his  soul.  He  promised  God  he  would 
preach,  if  such  was  his  will.  The  language  of 
his  heart  was,  "I  yield,  I  yield,  I  can  hold  out 
no  more."  With  what  agony  of  spirit  did  he 
lift  up  his  heart  and  hands  before  the  throne! 
The  surrounding  hills  sent  back  the  echo  of  his 
bitter  cry.  May  we  not  suppose  that  angels 
gathered  around  the  spot  and  gazed  with  awe 
upon  a  grief -stricken  soul  seeking  audience  with 
Jehovah?  It  was  an  hour  of  trial  with  no 
earthly  friend  near  to  speak  words  of  counsel 
and  consolation,  or  to  join  with  him  in  weeping 
and  prayer.  And  yet  it  was  an  hour  of  sublimest 
triumph.  Jesus  stooped  to  be  a  brother  and 
friend;  the  Holy  Spirit  whispered  peace  to  his 
soul ;  the  inner  life  which  had  been  storm-swept 
so  long,  felt  the  thrill  of  a  holy  quiet,  and  the 
fire  of  complete  triumph  sparkled  in  his  eyes. 
With  every  fetter  broken,  and  every  faculty  free, 

111 


Our  Heroes,  or 

he  realized  all  the  joy  and  beauty  of  the  new 
creation  which  had  been  wrought  in  him.  Quite 
awhile  before  this,  he  had  joined  the  Methodists, 
but  now  he  decided  that  the  United  Brethren 
Church  should  henceforth  be  his  home,  and  reap 
the  fruits  of  his  toil. 

In  1834,  the  Virginia  Conference  was  held  at 
Jennings'  Branch,  in  Rockingham  County. 
Young  Bachtel  attended  and  knocked  for  admis- 
sion. Being  modest  and  timid,  he  scarcely  knew 
what  to  say  or  do.  He  had  no  diploma  from 
college  or  seminary  to  recommend  him.  He  did 
not  have  back  of  him  the  prestige  of  wealth  or 
family  distinction.  But  he  presented  himself 
before  the  conference  in  the  consciousness  that 
Heaven  had  decreed  that  the  ministry  should  be 
his  field,  and  soul-winning  his  special  work. 
"When  I  saw^  the  preachers,"  he  said,  I  felt  so 
little  that  I  wished  I  had  stayed  at  home."  Of 
course,  such  a  feeling  might  be  expected  in  a 
modest  young  man  of  less  than  twenty-two,  who 
found  himself  for  the  first  time  in  the  presence 
of  venerable  men.  Though  they  were  without 
scholastic  training,  they  were  deeply  versed  in 
the  mysteries  of  the  gospel.  They  were  of  the 
apostolic  stamp.  The  closet,  the  valley,  and  the 
mountain  top  had  each  been  in  its  turn  a  Bethel 
to  them  as  they  talked  with  God,  and  by  faith 
caught  glimpses  of  "a  better  country."  They 
were  giant  pulpiteers,  for  sinners  fell  under  the 
influence    of    their    preaching    like    leaves    of 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

autumn;  and  in  answer  to  their  prayers  the 
"windows  of  heaven"  were  opened  and  pente- 
costal  baptisms  fell  upon  the  Church. 

The  young  man  was  sent  from  this  conference 
to  Frederick  Circuit,  John  Dorcas  being  the 
preacher  in  charge.  At  his  first  appointment  he 
utterly  failed  in  his  sermon,  as  he  thought,  and 
left  the  church  with  a  heavy  heart.  On  his  way 
to  his  next  preaching  place  he  wept  bitterly, 
turning  his  face  from  those  he  met  to  conceal 
his  tears.  But  with  experience  came  increased 
self-confidence,  and  a  larger  faith  in  the  all-suffi- 
ciency of  the  gospel  committed  to  him.  He 
continually  grew  in  public  favor,  and  became  a 
valuable  helper  to  the  senior  pastor. 

For  his  year's  work  he  received  eighty  dollars. 
The  minutes  of  the  conference  make  this  special 
mention  of  him :  "Moved,  seconded,  and  carried, 
that  Jacob  Bachtel  have  the  privilege  of  admin- 
istering the  ordinance  of  baptism" — an  action 
which  indicated  the  esteem  and  confidence  in 
which  the  young  itinerant  was  held. 

His  next  charge  was  South  Branch  Circuit, 
which  embraced  Hampshire  and  Hardy  counties. 
To  enter  upon,  and  prosecute,  the  task  Avhich 
had  been  assigned  him  thoroughly  tested  his 
fidelity.  The  country  was  rough,  and  the  people, 
for  the  most  part,  uncultured,  yet  they  were 
kind,  and  soon  won  the  heart  and  sympathy  of 
the  new  preacher.  He  likewise  won  his  way 
among    them    to    such    an    extent    that    they 

113 


Our  Heroes,  or 

demanded  his  return  for  the  ensuing  year.  He 
reported  to  the  chart  fifty-five  dollars  salary. 

The  next  year  he  extended  his  labors  into 
Pendleton  County,  where  he  established  new 
preaching  places.  At  one  of  his  meetings  two 
men  were  converted  who  afterward  entered  the 
ministry  of  the  Church — Revs.  William  Cun- 
ningham and  John  Richards.  But  the  year's 
work  was  too  strenuous  for  him.  By  conference 
time  he  was  so  broken  in  health  and  voice  that 
he  could  not  take  a  charge,  and  so  was  given  a 
supernumerary  relation.  But  after  resting  a 
while  he  fully  recovered,  and  the  next  conference 
elected  him  presiding  elder.  Shortly  after  this 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Smith,  of 
Hardy  County,  a  most  estimable  and  highly  cul- 
tured young  lady,  and  in  every  way  fitted  for  the 
life  of  her  own  choosing. 

During  the  year  Mr.  Bachtel  did  some  recon- 
noitering,  and  traveled  west  as  far  as  the  Great 
Kanawha  River.  In  all  this  trip  of  hundreds  of 
miles  through  mountain  fastnesses  he  did  not 
find  a  dozen  United  Brethren  families,  but  he 
did  find  what  he  thought  would  prove  a  most 
fruitful  field  in  the  years  to  come.  And  he  was 
right.  We  have  at  present  in  that  same  territory 
fifteen  thousand  members,  and  two  hundred  and 
seventy-three  churches  and  parsonages  worth 
more  than  $400,000.00. 

His  presiding  eldership  continued  four  years. 
During  one  of  these  years,  perhaps  the  last,  he 

114 


United  Brethren  Emne  Missionaries 

was  compelled  to  move  three  times — a  most 
harrowing  experience  to  any  preacher's  family. 
His  salary  was  less  than  one  hundred  dollars  a 
year.  Just  how  he  lived  and  kept  out  of  debt, 
which  he  did,  is  hard  to  understand.  We  know 
this,  however,  that  naught  but  devotion  to  the 
Church,  and  love  for  souls,  will  lead  any  man  to 
make  such  sacrifices  for  so  long  a  period.  How 
trying  to  be  compelled  to  fight  the  "wolf"  from 
the  door  year  in  and  year  out ! 

In  1842,  he  was  sent  to  Frederick  Circuit 
again,  with  J.  J.  Glossbrenner  as  his  presiding 
elder.  He  soon  infused  his  own  energy  and 
optimism  into  the  people,  and  sw^eeping  revivals 
were  promoted  all  over  the  charge.  The  next 
year  he  traveled  to  Hagerstown  charge,  with 
Rev.  John  Richards,  one  of  his  own  spiritual 
children,  as  a  helper.  His  colleague  says  of  him : 
"If  he  might  serve  well  his  people,  no  trial  was 
too  great,  no  temptation  too  strong,  no  affliction 
too  severe."  Devoted  man  of  God!  No  wonder 
those  who  knew  him  continued  to  cherish  his 
memory  as  long  as  they  lived !  He  remained  on 
this  field  three  years,  laying  broad  and  deep  the 
foundations  of  a  future  church  which  was  to 
become  a  great  factor  in  all  the  aggressively 
religious  w^ork  of  that  country. 

He  was  elected  to  the  ninth  General  Confer- 
ence which  convened  in  Circleville,  Ohio,  May 
12,  1845.  J.  J.  Glossbrehner  and  J.  Markwood, 
both  elected  Bishops  later,  were  his  colleagues ; 

115 


Our  Heroes,  or 

and,  from  this  on,  he  was  a  member  of  every 
General  Conference  up  to,  and  including,  1865. 

Mr.  Bachtel  was  a  staunch  business  man, 
courageous  in  expressing  his  views,  and  a  most 
forceful  debater.  In  the  great  discussions  in 
the  General  Conferences  over  the  Depravity  and 
Secrecy  questions,  he  took  a  lively  part,  and 
showed  himself  sane  and  trustworthy  as  a 
leader. 

In  1846-47,  he  had  charge  of  Woodstock 
Circuit,  and  then  went  to  Staunton,  where  he 
remained  three  years,  which  at  that  time  was 
as  long  as  the  Discipline  permitted  a  pastorate 
to  continue.  His  first  report  shows  that  he  re- 
ceived 1260.69  from  seventeen  appointments.  His 
missionary  collection  was  thirty-two  dollars.  The 
policy  of  collecting  missionary  money  as  early 
as  1849,  to  say  the  least,  was  unique.  We  had  no 
missionary  society  then,  and  did  not  have  till 
years  afterward.  At  conference  he  offered  the 
following  resolution :  "Resolved,  That  we  lift  a 
collection  at  each  annual  conference  for  foreign 
missions,  and  that  the  conference  instruct  its 
members  to  get  as  much  as  possible  by  private 
solicitation."  This  was,  perhaps,  the  first  money 
ever  raised  in  the  Church  for  missionary  pur- 
poses abroad;  if  this  be  true,  then  he  had  the 
honor  of  giving  tangibility  to  a  movement  which 
originated  as  far  back  as  the  General  Conference 
of  1841. 

116 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

The  second  year  Mr.  Bachtel  reported  $254.00 
salary,  and  the  reception  of  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  members.  During  this  year  a  most 
amusing  incident  occurred  in  connection  with 
his  work.  While  absent  from  his  home  at  Day- 
ton, where  he  lived,  some  miscreant  stole  his 
wood  and  turnips,  of  which  he  had  laid  in  a  good 
supply.  The  next  time  he  preached  there  he 
denounced  such  conduct  in  language  more  vig- 
orous than  polished.  The  denunciations  which 
he  hurled  at  the  thief,  who  happened  to  be 
present,  were  simply  terrible.  Shortly  afterward 
the  wood-and-turnip  thief  attended  a  meeting 
held  by  the  Lutherans,  became  penitent,  and 
after  going  to  the  injured  preacher  and  making 
confession  and  reparation,  was  soundly  con- 
verted. 

In  1852,  the  sturdy  pioneer  was  again  elected 
elder  and  continued  in  the  office  a  number  of 
years.  In  March  of  1857,  he  was  sent  to  the 
western  part  of  the  State,  now  West  Virginia. 
About  this  time  this  territory  was  formed  into 
a  separate  conference,  and  Bachtel  became  one 
of  its  charter  members.  The  move  to  his  new 
field.  West  Columbia  Circuit,  was  fully  three 
hundred  miles,  the  entire  distance  being  by 
private  conveyance,  and  no  little  of  it  through 
a  rough  and  almost  impassable  country.  The 
work  of  the  year  was  exceedingly  difficult,  and 
the  remuneration  shamefully  small,  amounting 
to  only  1281.00,  presents  included. 

X17 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

The  first  session  of  the  new  conference,  called 
Parkersburg,  was  held  at  Centerville,  Tyler 
County,  March  4,  1858.  Ten  preachers  were 
present,  reporting  less  than  one  thousand  mem- 
bers for  the  new  district.  The  next  year  Mr. 
Bachtel  had  a  better  report.  His  salary  was 
1334.00,  with  thirty-eight  dollars  additional  for 
missions,  and  twenty-seven  dollars  for  Sunday- 
school  purposes.  The  third  year  his  support 
dropped  to  |279.00.  The  time  limit  having  been 
reached,  he  was  transferred  to  Jackson  Circuit. 

The  Civil  War  was  now  in  full  blast,  and  great 
excitement  prevailed  everywhere.  Mr.  Bachtel 
was  a  strong  "Union"  man,  and  constantly 
advocated  loyalty  to  the  old  flag.  Nor  was  his 
preaching  without  fruit.  The  Church  was 
unsettled,  money  was  scarce,  and  revivals  seemed 
impossible.  His  salary  this  year  was  only 
1153.00.  No  darker  hour  ever  came  to  the 
Church  in  West  Virginia.  The  1862  session  of 
conference  was  held  at  Centerville,  the  place 
where  the  new  organization  had  been  effected 
four  years  before.  Only  nine  pastors  were  able 
to  get  there.  Bishop  Glossbrenner  was  shut  up 
in  the  South,  and  a  general  depression  seemed 
to  rest  upon  the  poor  preachers  who  had  suffered 
so  much  to  build  up  their  new  field.  Guerrillas 
were  on  some  part  of  Jackson  Circuit  all  the 
time  carrying  on  depredations  of  one  kind  or 
another,  but  for  some  reason  they  never  molested 
the  preacher.    Going  to  one  of  his  appointments 

118 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

one  Sabbath  morning  he  found  the  church  occu- 
pied by  Southern  troops,  but  when  tlie  moment 
came  for  him  to  preach  he  began  the  usual  serv- 
ices, the  soldiers  paying  special  attention,  and 
expressing  the  wish  afterward  that  they  might 
have  as  good  a  chaplain. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  conference  was  in 
Freeman's  Creek  Church,  Lewis  County.  Mr. 
Bachtel  did  not  attend.  Only  eight  of  the  faith- 
ful pioneers  made  reports.  His  salary  was  |152. 
By  special  arraingement  he  was  returned  for  the 
fourth  year.  But  the  work  was  too  heavy.  He 
had  no  horse  a  part  of  the  time,  so  was  compelled 
to  walk  long  distances  in  filling  his  appoint- 
ments. Think  of  a  man  trudging  around  over 
large  portions  of  two  counties  on  foot  to  preach 
the  Word,  and  to  shepherd  his  flock !  No  earthly 
record  will  ever  tell  it  all.  We  must  wait  for 
the  opening  of  God's  book.  His  pay  for  all  this 
was  1178.00. 

In  compliance  with  the  wish  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  West  Columbia  charge,  he  Avas 
again  sent  there  as  its  pastor.  Things  went  well. 
Good  meetings  were  held,  and  ninety-five  were 
received  into  church  fellowship.  His  salary 
was  the  largest  ever  received  by  any  pastor  in 
the  conference,  being  $357.00,  while  his  mission- 
ary collections  reached  the  then  enormous  sum 
of  eighty-four  dollars.  The  following  year  a 
high  tide  of  revival  power  swept  over  the  entire 
circuit.    Fifty  joined  the  church  at  New  Haven, ^ 

119 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

sixty  at  Hartford  City,  and  one  hundred  and 
thirty-two  at  other  points,  making  a  magnificent 
total  of  242.  His  support  was  far  above  that 
of  the  previous  year,  totaling  $480.84.  The  col- 
lections for  all  purposes  reached  $1,800 — the 
best  report  he  ever  made  in  a  ministry  of  a  third 
of  a  century.  And  it  was  his  last  report.  He 
went  home  to  die.  The  brave,  dashing  cavalier 
had  won  his  last  battle  on  the  field,  and  now  felt 
the  approach  of  the  black-winged  messenger. 
But  he  was  ready.  Not  a  cloud  nor  even  a 
shadow  appeared  upon  his  spiritual  horizon. 
After  makina:  his  will,  and  calmly  conversing 
with  his  faithful  wife  about  their  affairs,  he  said, 
"I  think  my  work  is  done,  and  why  should  I  want 
to  live?"  Upon  seeing  his  wife  in  tears  he  ten- 
derly pleaded  with  her :  "Child,  don't  cry.  Just 
think  how  merciful  God  is  in  taking  me  first. 
You  can  do  better  without  me  than  I  could 
without  you.  There  will  only  be  a  few  days  of 
separation.  I  will  watch  for  you  as  you  come 
to  the  better  land." 

At  times,  when  reason  seemed  dethroned,  he 
would  preach  to  himself,  and  then  converse  with 
the  old  ministers  with  whom  he  had  toiled  and 
suffered  in  the  years  long  agone. 

At  last  the  fatal  hour  came.  When  far  down 
in  the  valley  he  said,  pointing  with  his  finger, 
"What  a  beautiful  grove  I  see !  What  delightful 
fields !  Oh,  if  I  can  find  a  resting  place  in  some 
corner   of   that   delightful   place."    As   he   lay 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

looking  intently  into  his  wife's  face,  she  asked, 
"Do  you  know  me?"  "Certainly  I  do,"  he  re- 
plied, "for  you  have  been  a  good  and  faithful 
companion."  Then  folding  his  hands  across  his 
breast,  he  died  as  quietly  and  peacefully  as  the 
child  falls  asleep  upon  its  mother's  bosom.  This 
was  on  the  twenty-third  of  October,  1866. 

At  the  ensuing  conference  session.  Bishop 
Glossbrenner  preached  an  appropriate  sermon 
in  memory  of  the  hero  itinerant,  from  the  text, 
"And  his  disciples  came  and  took  up  the  body, 
and  buried  it,  and  went  and  told  Jesus."  (Matt. 
14 :  12. )  At  his  funeral  a  special  song,  composed 
by  Professor  W.  H.  Diddle,  was  sung  with  mar- 
velous effect,  the  first  verse  being, 

"Through  persecutions  oft  severe. 
He  labored  long  with  toil  and  care ; 
To  cultivate  Immanuel's  ground, 
He  fought  until  with  victory  crowned." 

"He  left  in  the  Church  a  reputation  as  pure  as 
the  marble  that  marks  his  grave,  and  a  record 
of  usefulness  surpassed  by  none  who  have  pre- 
ceded him."    So  wrote  a  life-long  friend. 


nx 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHRISTOPHER   FLINCHBAUGH. 

''Peter  Cartwright  of  the  Miami  Valley/^ 

In  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Hebrews,  the 
writer  introduces  a  distinguished  company  of 
"heroes  of  faith,"  belonging  to  the  olden  time. 
The  evident  purpose  is  that  the  Church  in  all 
the  future  ages  might  learn  the  lesson  of  their 
success,  and  partake  of  the  same  essential  ele- 
ments of  character.  A  prominent  churchman 
of  the  present  day  remarks:  "If  the  list  pre- 
sented by  the  great  apostle  would  ever  wear  out 
by  its  much  usage,  it  could  be  supplied  many 
times  with  heroes  and  heroines  of  the  same  type, 
from  Paul  to  Luther,  and  from  Luther  to  the 
present  time."  True  succession  of  the  same  type 
of  heroism  is  readily  discovered  and  recognized 
in  the  lives  and  sei'vices  of  United  Brethren 
home  missionaries,  from  Otterbein  to  the  present. 
They  are  marked  by  the  same  mighty  faith. 

It  is  of  exceeding  interest  to  note  the  various 
types  of  character  nitched  by  the  Almighty  in 
some  noble  mold  for  the  various  places  and 
kinds  of  service  in  the  extension  and  constructive 
work  of  the  denomination.  We  have  had  great 
preachers,  like  the  learned  Otterbein  and  the 
eloquent  Geeting.  We  have  had  our  Lorenzo 
Dows,  illustrating  how  God  can  use  men  even 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

though  they  seem  toi  be  full  of  absolutely  crip- 
pling blemishes.  We  have  had  our  Peter  Cart- 
wrights,  whose  history  reads  like  fiction,  and 
demonstrates  how  great  an  influence  a  man  can 
have  on  all  classes  when  he  walks  a  straight  road 
with  Christ.  The  cost  of  sainthood  among 
Protestants  is  demonstrated  when  we  find  that 
Newcomer,  during  the  last  twenty  years  of  his 
ministry,  traveled  an  average  of  six  thousand 
miles  a  year,  mostly  on  horseback,  sleeping 
sometimes  on  the  cold  ground,  or,  usually,  on 
the  floors  of  log  cabins,  and  received  the  meager 
salary  of  sixty-four  dollars  a  year. 

One  of  the  most  unique  characters  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  early  history  of  United 
Brethrenism  in  Ohio  is  that  of  Christopher 
Flinchbaugh,  to  whom  reference  is  frequently 
made  as  "the  Peter  Cartwright  of  the  Miami 
Valley."  It  is  commonly  charged  that  the 
pioneer  preacher  was  eccentric.  If  this  charge 
refers  merely  to^  a  laughter-producing  eccentric- 
ity, it  is  wrong.  If  the  term,  however,  means 
that  those  pioneers  differed  from  the  established 
conventional  clergy,  it  will  be  freely  admitted, 
for  they  were  unhampered  by  conventionalities. 
In  their  great  evangelistic  meetings  there  was 
no  cathedral  hush,  no  mountain  quiet,  but  vol- 
canic action,  orthodox  in  heat  and  power.  Their 
testimony  was  direct  and  forceful,  and  seldom 
failed  to  bring  conviction  to'  their  audiences. 
Many  who  came  to  scoff  remained  to  pray.  Such 
were  the  characteristics  and  power  of  Mr.  Flinch- 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

baugh.  Many  of  his  epigrams,  if  spoken  by 
another,  or  taken  out  of  their  connection,  would 
seem  wholly  out  of  place  in  pulpit  discourse,  but, 
considered  with  their  context,  and  the  natural- 
ness with  which  he  uttered  them,  they  were  in 
place,  and  most  effective  in  riveting  the  truth 
upon  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  his  hearers. 

Mr.  Flinchbaugh  was  born  in  Wurttemburg, 
Germany,  April  26,  1799,  the  youngest  of  a 
family  of  six  children.  On  the  death  of  his 
parents,  in  his  fifteenth  year,  he  was  left  in  an 
exceedingly  distressed  and  melancholy  condition. 
Because  of  this  loss,  he  lacked  the  tender  touches, 
the  sheltering  care,  and  the  brooding  affection 
which  mean  so  much  to  a  lad  passing  into  and 
through  his  teens  toward  manhood.  At  this 
early  age  he  was  tossed  into  a  turbulent  tide, 
where,  buffeted  by  the  waves  and  hurt  by  the 
hidden  rocks  against  which  he  was  dashed,  he 
had  to  struggle  for  life.  His  experiences  during 
the  famous  Napoleon  campaign  in  1816,  which 
left  disaster  and  distress  in  its  tracks,  remained 
with  him  as  a  thrilling  memory  even  in  his  old 
age. 

In  1817,  when  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age, 
young  Flinchbaugh  came  to  America,  the  voyage 
covering  a  period  of  fifteen  weeks.  He  paid  his 
fare  by  working  as  a  deck  hand.  At  the  end 
of  the  journey  he  worked  eighteen  months  for 
the  party  who  brought  him  over,  under  an  agree- 
ment that  he  was  to  receive  in  remuneration, 
additional  to  his  passage,  nine  months'  school- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ing,  two  suits  of  clothes,  and  forty  dollars  in 
money.  But  he  failed  to  receive  his  reward, 
which  was  another  crushing  experience  in  the 
life  of  the  struggling  German  boy.  In  1819  he 
came  to  Miami  Township,  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio,  walking  most  of  the  way  from  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania.  This  he  called  home  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  It  was  the  center  from 
which  he  went  out  on  many  long  and  perilous 
missionary  journeys  during  his  itinerant  life. 

Mr.  Flinchbaugh  came  to  Ohio  a  careless,  and, 
so  far  as  Christianity  is  concerned,  a  very 
thoughtless  young  man.  According  to  his  own 
testimony,  he  was  naturally  a  "wild,  wicked 
boy."  In  the  year  1821,  after  his  marriage  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Columbia,  he  began  to  attend 
religious  services  in  the  home  of  Mrs.  Fagely,  a 
devout  Christian  woman  residing  near  Miami- 
town.  Here,  under  the  preaching  of  United 
Brethren  itinerants,  he  was  deeply  convicted  of 
sin.  For  eighteen  months  he  passed  through  a 
state  of  wretchedness  indescribable,  feeling  at 
times  that  he  was  utterly  lost;  "seeming  now  to 
hear  the  voice  of  Christ  in  encouragement,  and 
now  to  feel  the  devil  present  with  a  power  which 
threatened  to  sieze  him  and  drag  him  down  to 
hell."  But  he  still  struggled  on,  like  Bunyan's 
Pilgrim,  bearing  the  burden  of  his  sin.  It  was 
during  the  summer  of  1823,  when  in  a  cornfield, 
kneeling  beside  the  plow,  that  the  light  broke  in 
upon  his  soul,  and  a  voice  said,  "Thy  sins  are  all 
forgiven  thee."    The  temper  and  habits  of  Saul 

125 


Our  Heroes,  or 

of  Tarsus  were  no  more  changed  in  his  conver- 
sion than  were  those  of  Christopher  Flinchbaugh. 
The  lion  had  become  a  lamb,  the  swearer  devout, 
the  drunkard  sober,  the  fighter  a  man  of  peace. 
Thereafter,  this  illiterate,  plain  man,  for  a  period 
of  sixty  years,  moved  and  transformed  by  the 
power  through  which  he  had  been  saved,  preached 
to  the  multitudes  and  won  souls  to  Christ  by 
scores  and  hundreds. 

The  Sunday  following  his  conversion  he 
preached  his  first  sermon.  The  meeting  place 
was  the  Chamber's  Tavern,  in  Miamitown.  His 
old  associates  in  sin  crowded  the  place  to  over- 
flowing, curious  to  hear  a  man  preach  whom  they 
knew  as  a  very  profane  and  drunken  fighter. 
He  began  by  stating  that  his  audience  knew  the 
kind  of  life  he  had  lived  in  their  midst,  but  he 
had  now  turned  his  back  upon  the  old  life  of  sin, 
and  set  his  face  toward  the  prize  of  his  "high 
calling  in  Christ  Jesus."  The  story  of  his  con- 
viction and  marvelous  conversion  melted  some 
of  the  hardest  hearts  present.  He  then  most 
earnestly  exhorted  his  old  companions  in  sin  to 
turn  to  God  and  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 
He  spoke  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  A 
number  present  called  upon  God  for  mercy  and 
salvation,  who  subsequently  became  pillars  in 
the  Church.  The  following  Sabbath  he  preached 
in  a  cooper  shop,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town, 
with  the  same  results.  It  was  the  boast  of  some 
of  his  past  associates  that  within  a  period  of 
three  months  Flinchbaugh  would  be  associated 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

with  them  again  in  wickedness  and  in  sin.  But, 
on  the  contrary,  before  the  close  of  that  period, 
the  majority  of  those  who  had  joined  in  the 
prediction  were  won  to  Christ  and  were  assisting 
the  earnest  young  missionary  in  his  work. 

In  1824,  when  in  his  twenty-fifth  year,  Mr. 
Flinchbaugh  joined  the  Miami  Conference,  was 
licensed  to  preach,  and  was  appointed  to  his  first 
charge.  Constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ,  and 
without  conferring  with  flesh  and  blood,  he  went 
forth  at  once  to  the  work.  "A  United  Brethren 
preacher  in  those  days,  when  he  felt  that  God 
called  him  to  preach,  instead  of  hunting  up  a 
college  or  biblical  institute,  hunted  up  a  horse 
and  saddle-bags,  and,  with  his  library  always  at 
hand,  mainly  a  Bible,  hymn-book,  and  Discipline, 
he  started,  and  with  a  text  that  never  wore  out 
or  grew  stale,  he  cried,  'Behold  the  Lamb  of  God 
that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.'  In  this 
way  he  went  through  storms  of  wind,  hail,  snow, 
and  rain,  climbed  hills  and  mountains,  traversed 
valleys,  plunged  through  swamps,  swam  swollen 
streams,  laid  out  all  night,  wet,  weary,  and 
hungry,  held  his  horse  by  the  bridle  all  night, 
or  tied  him  to  a  limb,  slept  with  his  saddle- 
blanket  for  a  bed,  his  saddle  or  saddle-bags  for 
a  pillow,  and  his  own  big  coat,  or  blanket,  if  he 
had  any,  for  a  covering.  His  text  was  always 
ready,  'Behold  the  Lamb  of  God.'  " 

The  itinerant  life  of  Mr.  Flinchbaugh  covered 
a  period  of  a  half  century  without  a  single  fur- 
lough.    From  his  first  appointment  to  his  last 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

he  prosecuted  his  work  with  a  bravery  like  that 
of  chivalry,  a  loyalty  to  God  and  to  the  souls  of 
men  which  neither  opposition  nor  discourage- 
ment could  frighten.  He  was  a  "cavalry  cap- 
tain," always  found  at  the  head  of  the  column, 
and  on  the  "firing  line."  His  natural  physique 
was  almost  superhuman.  He  did  not  seem  to 
require  food  and  rest  as  other  men;  no  day's 
journey  was  long  enough  to  tire  him;  no  food 
too  poor  for  him  to  live  on.  To  him,  in  traveling, 
roads  and  paths  were  useless — he  "blazed"  his 
own  course.  When  remonstrated  with  by  his 
friends  concerning  the  perils  and  privations 
through  which  he  was  constantly  passing,  and 
being  urged  to  desist  from  his  exposures  to  cold 
and  neglect,  he  would  remark  that  he  had  been 
a  ring-leader  in  wickedness  and  had  done  much 
evil,  the  influence  of  which  he  could  not  undo, 
and  since  Christ  had  mercifully  found  and  saved 
him,  he  should  improve  every  moment  in  doing 
what  good  he  could  for  the  cause  of  righteous- 
ness. 

Mr.  Flinchbaugh  believed  in  the  itineracy,  and 
illustrated  its  effectiveness  and  adaptability  by 
his  life.  He  spoke  of  one  of  his  early  circuits 
being  four  hundred  miles  in  length,  with  thirty- 
two  appointments.  This  number  was  constantly 
increased  during  the  year.  After  giving  the 
message  to  one  community,  he  would  hurry  on  to 
lift  up  his  voice  in  other  dark  places,  where  men 
were  dying  in  sin.  Because  of  the  awful  need  of 
the  sheep  in  the  wilderness,  he  could  not  tarry 

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CHRISTOPHER    FLINCHBAUGH 


Uiiiied  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

with  the  sheep  in  the  fold.  He  spent  most  of 
his  ministerial  life  in  Ohio,  and  traditions  of  him 
are  still  with  the  people  and  are  often  recited. 
His  field  of  toil  stretched  from  Evansville, 
Indiana,  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  On  this 
great  field,  which  was  then  frontier  country,  the 
footprints  and  faithful  toil  of  this  hero  of  the 
cross  were  deeply  impressed  and  remain  to  this 
day.  Eight  large  conferences  have  grown  up  in 
the  territory. 

The  educational  advantages  of  Mr.  Flinch- 
baugh  were  limited.  He  went  to  school  eight 
3'ears  in  Germany,  but  being  of  a  careless,  idle 
disposition  in  his  mental  make-up  when  a  boy, 
as  he  claimed,  he  profited  but  little  by  this  op- 
portunity. In  those  days  the  methods  pursued 
in  the  schools  and  the  discipline  used  gave  many 
a  boy  such  a  horrible  dread  that  he  would  do 
an^' thing  in  preference  to  going  to  school.  At  the 
time  of  his  conversion  he  was  scarcely  able  to 
read  in  the  English  language,  but  so  anxious  was 
lie  to  proclaim  the  story  of  his  new-found  love, 
that  he  applied  himself  to  study  with  great  dili- 
gence. While  he  always  spoke  with  very  much 
greater  ease  and  satisfaction  in  the  German 
tongue,  he  gained  distinction  as  a  preacher 
among  the  English-speaking  people.  In  his 
audiences  at  different  times  were  Gen.  William 
Henry  Harrison,  Governor  Bebb,  and  others  who 
were  prominent  in  the  State  and  Nation.  His 
good  common  sense,  his  knowledge  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, his  natural  gifts  in  public  address,  his  odd 

129 


Our  Heroes,  or 

and  striking  way  of  presenting  the  truth,  his 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  and  his  mighty  re- 
ligious fervor,  enabled  him  to  sway  his  audiences 
at  his  will,  and  gave  him  great  popularity  among 
all  classes.  He  was  a  manly  man — manly  in 
body,  mind,  and  heart. 

Mr.  Flinchbaugh's  ministry  was  peculiarly 
adapted  to  the  pioneer  times  and  communities. 
He  was  a  plain  and  bold  speaker.  He  did  not 
spare  those  who  seemed  to  deserve  ridicule, 
whether  in  private  conversation  or  in  the  public 
assembl3^  At  times  his  words  were  as  keen  as 
whip  lashes,  cutting  deep  into  the  most  callous 
offenders,  and  bringing  them  into  ridicule  and 
contempt.  Following  a  description  of  the  hei- 
nousness  of  sin,  his  heart  would  seem  to  break  as 
he  looked  upon  the  picture  of  judgment  coming 
upon  the  impenitent.  He  would  immediately 
pass  then  to  the  other  extreme,  for  he  was  a  man 
of  broad  and  tender  sympathies,  and,  with  a 
tenderness  unexcelled,  he  would  persuade  men 
to  flee  the  wrath  to  come.  Such  was  the  power 
of  his  message  and  appeal  that  frequently  his 
voice  would  be  almost  submerged  by  the  cries  of 
sinners  bewailing  their  past  lives  and  pleading 
with  God  for  mercy.  He  was  intense  as  a 
speaker.  His  whole  frame  would  at  times  re- 
spond to  his  mental  and  emotional  intensity.  The 
manliness  and  courage  of  the  man  were  manifest 
in  every  tone  of  his  utterance  and  in  his  very 
attitude  and  movements.  The  closing  of  his 
sermons  was  often  a  flame    of    moral  and  emo- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

tional  passion,  and  was  overwhelming  and  irre- 
sistible. The  words  were  short,  the  sentences 
were  compact;  great  emotions  would  explode  in 
short,  sharp,  abrupt  vocal  utterances.  It  was 
like  the  short,  sharp,  double-quick  of  a  soldier. 
Passion  swept  his  soul  witli  such  tremendous 
force  that  the  architecture  of  his  sentences  was 
twisted,  words  involuted,  order  of  sentences 
wrecked,  and  fragments  regathered  in  new  form. 
An  earnestness  possessed  him  that  always 
gripped  his  audiences.  He  hated  shams  and  loved 
plain,  evangelical,  earnest  preaching.  Dullness 
in  the  pulpit  upon  the  part  of  others  he  could  not 
and  would  not  endure.  On  one  occasion,  after 
listening  for  an  hour  to  a  dry  sermon  on  the 
text,  "Sow  to  yourself  in  righteousness,  reap  in 
mercy,  break  up  your  fallow  ground;  for  it  is 
time  to  seek  the  Lord  till  he  come  and  reign 
righteousness  upon  you."  Mr.  Flinchbaugh  spoke 
out  and  said,  "Brother,  you  had  better  unhitch 
and  take  your  plow  to  the  smithshop  and  get  it 
sharpened."  On  another  occasion  a  man  who 
had  little  qualification  for  a  minister,  was  trying 
to  preach.  For  nearly  an  hour  he  had  blundered 
on,  when  he  remarked  that  he  had  then  reached 
a  place  where  a  large  field  opened  before  him. 
Just  then  Mr.  Flinchbaugh,  who  sat  on  the  pulpit 
near  him,  and  was  noticeably  restless  and  im- 
patient, exclaimed,  "O  Lord !  put  up  the  bars  so 
Brother  L —  can't  get  into  that  field,  for  we  are 
tired  and  want  to  go  home  to  dinner."  This  old 
hero  and  the  two  whom  he  rebuked  being  farmers, 

131 


Our  Heroes,  or 

and  the  congregation  composed  mostly  of  farm- 
ers, the  statements  made  about  getting  the  plow 
sharpened  and  putting  up  the  bars  were  well 
understood,  and  in  both  cases  the  harangues 
came  to  a  speedy  close. 

Like  all  inspirational  preachers,  Mr.  Plinch- 
baugh  would  sometimes  preach  under  great 
difficulty  and  embarrassment.  The  following 
incident  is  given  as  occurring  at  a  camp-meeting 
where  he  was  assigned  to  i^reach  on  a  Sunday 
night.  A  large  company  of  ministers  was 
present,  including  two  bishops.  After  Mr. 
Flinchbaugh  consented,  he  retired  to  a.  private 
place  in  the  grove  and  prayed  for  help.  He 
could  think  of  nothing  but  "Thy  Kingdom  come," 
although  he  had  never  before  spoken  from  the 
text.  It  was  apparent  from  the  moment  that  he 
started  to  preach  that  he  was  depressed,  and  the 
depression  spread  to  the  audience.  "Everything 
was  dark,"  he  said,  in  referring  to  the  experience. 
Just  at  that  moment,  however,  when  he  could 
do  nothing  more  than  repeat  his  text,  and  he  was 
expected  to  take  his  seat,  he  took  a  red  bandanna 
handkerchief  from  his  pocket,  drew  it  slowly 
across  his  forehead,  and  held  it  up  before  him  to 
see  if  the  perspiration  had  started,  and  then  ex- 
claimed in  his  German  brogue,  "Thank  God,  it 
has  come."  He  then  stepped  to  the  edge  of  the 
platform,  and,  with  a  significant  wave  of  his 
hand,  cried,  "  Good-bye,  bishops  and  presiding 
elders,"  and,  changing  his  tone  from  defeat  to 
victory,  he  repeated,  "Good-bye"  several    times. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Mis  Nonaries 

Then  light  broke  from  heaven  upon  the  speaker 
and  upon  the  audience,  and  for  more  than  an 
hour  he  led  the  people  at  his  will,  and  such  was 
the  intensity  of  feeling  that  the  assembly  rocked 
to  and  fro  as  if  swept  by  a  tempest.  Before  he 
was  through^  more  than  an  hundred  people  had 
fallen  before  him.  Some  pressed  forward  to  the 
altar  with  cries  for  mercy,  others  fell  where  they 
had  been  standing  and  lay  like  dead  men.  They 
Avould  fall  in  companies  before  him,  when  he 
would  cry  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "O  Lord !  load 
and  fire  again !"  and  it  was  not  until  the  gray 
dawn  of  the  morning  that  the  people  left  to  seek 
rest.  One  who  heard  the  sermon  says,  "It  seemed 
that  God  himself  was  speaking  to  the  people." 
The  meeting  was  held  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Hack- 
elbender,  on  the  east  fork  of  the  Little  Miami 
River.  The  physical  phenomenon  of  men  and 
women  falling  helpless  under  powerful  religious 
appeals  was  a  very  common  occurrence  in  those 
early  days.  The  most  hardened  and  wicked,  as 
if  smitten  with  apoplexy  or  sudden  paralysis, 
would  fall  helpless  to  the  floor;  but  it  almost 
invariably  resulted  that  when  these  persons 
emerged  from  that  helpless  and  seemingly  un- 
conscious state  they  were  in  a  position  of  spirit- 
ual obedience,  filled  with  joy,  and  physically  un- 
harmed. Thousands  of  such  incidents  are  re- 
corded in  the  ministry  of  Newcomer,  Boehm, 
Hoffman,  Flinchbaugh,  and  others. 

When  Charles  G.  Finney  was  called  to  Auburn, 
New  York,  to  conduct  evangelistic  services,  he 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

found  an  organization  of  infidels,  of  which 
Palmer  Hawley  was  president.  The  society  in- 
cluded a  large  majority  of  the  men  of  the  place. 
So  greatly  was  the  evangelist  burdened  as  the 
result  of  these  conditions  that  he  asked  his  host 
for  permission  to  sleep  in  the  stable,  that  his 
prayers  might  not  interrupt  the  members  of  the 
household.  He  spoke  for  several  successive 
evenings  on  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
news  of  his  marvelous  sermons  spread  abroad. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  society,  Mr.  Hawley  sug- 
gested with  an  insinuating  smile,  that  they 
adjourn  and  go  down  to  Finney's  meeting,  that 
they  might  find  out  where  he  keeps  his  Holy 
Ghost.  That  night,  under  the  power  of  the 
sermon,  Hawley  was  stricken  down  and  re- 
mained unconscious  for  twelve  hours.  He  re- 
vived lisping  a  prayer  of  penitence,  and  was 
gloriously  saved.  Palmer  Hawley  became  one  of 
the  most  influential  Christian  men  of  the  city, 
and  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
until  called  to  his  reward  a,  half  century  later. 

The  question  is  asked :  Why  do  we  not  have  in 
our  day  the  Saul  of  Tarsus  and  Palmer  Hawley 
kind  of  conversions?  In  this  more  cultured  and 
enlightened  age,  with  its  changed  conditions, 
such  miracles  may  not  be  necessary  to  convince 
men  of  the  divinity  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the 
Bible  as  the  Word  of  God.  But  the  old  weapon 
is  still  effective  in  reaching  men,  breaking  them 
down,  and  sweeping  them  into  the  kingdom 
when  wielded  by  the  Holy  Spirit.     During   the 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Chapman-Alexander  meetings  in  Boston,  two 
ministers  of  the  Unitarian  faith  were  present  at 
a  service,  when,  under  the  power  of  the  sermon, 
about  two  hundred  persons  repented  of  their  sins 
and  publicity  confessed  Christ  as  their  Savior. 
The  company  included  some  men  who  were  old 
in  years  and  hardened  in  sin.  On  leavinp^  the 
service,  one  of  those  ministers  was  heard  to  re- 
mark, "Well,  the  same  old  story."  His  friend 
answered,  "Yes,  and  the  same  old  results." 

When  the  Ohio  German  Conference  was  or- 
♦T^anized  in  1853,  Mr.  Flinchbaugh,  on  transfer 
from  the  Miami  Conference,  became  a  charter 
member.  He  served  as  one  of  its  first  presiding 
elders,  during  which  time  he  was  not  only  a  real 
partner  in  the  toils  and  sacrifices  of  his  preach- 
ers, but  he  allowed  none  to  surpass  him  in  the 
work  of  carrying  the  gospel  into  new  commun- 
ities. He  was  especially  happy  in  camp-meetings. 
They  were  the  great  occasions  of  the  year,  furn- 
ishing an  exceptional  opportunity  both  for  seed- 
sowing  and  reaping.  Men  and  women  of  every 
kind  and  condition  were  caught  as  in  the  meshes 
of  an  invisible  net,  and  drawn  to  the  hearing  of 
the  gospel.  Many  came  to  worship,  some  came 
in  idle  curiosity,  some  with  malignant  purpose, 
or  even  to  break  up  the  meeting.  Flinchbaugh 
was  without  a  peer  on  such  occasions.  He  was  a 
man  of  gigantic  proportions  and  Herculean 
strength,  with  an  arm  like  a  weaver's  beam.  His 
voice  was  mighty.     He  could  pray,  preach,  and 

135 


Our  Heroes,  or 

exhort  day  and  night  the  whole  week  through 
and  not  grow  weary. 

None  surpassed  him  in  ability  to  master  un- 
ruly elements.  There  was  in  the  times  in  which 
he  lived,  in  the  spirit  of  the  frontier  country,  and 
in  the  very  blood  which  throbbed  in  his  heart, 
the  making  of  a  fighter.  When  justice  seemed  to 
suffer  oppression,  when  his  congregation  was 
denied  the  right  to  worship  God  in  peace,  when 
the  dignity  of  his  own  soul  was  offended  by  an 
affront,  the  strength  of  his  spirit  leaped  into 
action,  and  he  was  never  known  to  falter  before 
an  enemy.  On  one  occasion  he  was  conducting 
a  meeting,  when  two  "ruffians"  appeared  in  the 
congregation,  who  were  famous  for  disturbing 
religious  services.  During  the  prayer  they 
talked  aloud,  and,  with  a  pin,  gorged  a  colored 
man,  who  was  kneeling  near  them.  When  Mr. 
Flinchbaugh  began  his  sermon,  they  advanced 
near  the  altar  and  began  to  laugh  and  talk.  He 
stopped  for  a  moment,  and,  addressing  them 
kindly,  asked  them  to  either  be  seated  or  with- 
draw from  the  congregation.  With  an  oath  they 
told  him  to  mind  his  own  business.  This  was  too 
much  for  the  old  hero,  who  immediately  left  the 
stand,  and,  seizing  the  man  who  uttered  the  oath, 
the  other  having  fled,  he  ushered  him  to  the  out- 
skirts of  the  encampment,  and,  after  dealing  him 
one  or  two  blows,  released  his  grip,  the  intruder 
promising  to  leave  the  community  and  never  to 
interfere  again  with  a  religious  service.  By  this 
time  the  congregation  was  in  confusion,  but  Mr. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Flinchbaugh  returned  to  the  pulpit,  and,  facing 
the  audience,  exclaimed  in  his  German  brogue, 
"That  is  the  way  I  cast  out  devils."  He  then 
proceeded  with  his  sermon. 

When  the  Ohio  German  Conference  was  well 
established.  Father  Flinchbaugh  returned  to 
Miami.  Being  well  advanced  in  years,  he  did  not 
again  assume  the  responsibilities  of  a  regular 
charge.  The  long  journeys  incident  to  his  itin- 
erant life,  fraught  with  constant  hardship  and 
peril,  with  the  heroic  service  he  had  rendered  on 
the  "firing  line"  of  the  battle  for  a  half  century 
or  more,  had  now  stamped  deep  furrows  in  his 
face  and  had  enfeebled  his  once  mighty  frame. 

In  his  old  days  he  would  take  pleasure  in  re- 
calling the  trials  and  triumphs  of  his  missionary 
career,  when  the  old-time  fire  would  burn  again 
in  his  soul,  and  the  impulse  would  come  again  to 
buckle  on  the  spurs,  take  his  place  in  the  saddle, 
and  go  out  to  win  other  victories  for  his  Lord. 

When  one  of  his  friends  inquired  how  he  lived 
and  supported  his  family  on  less  than  one  hun- 
dred dollars  a  year,  he  replied :  "That  was  part 
pay,  and  God  made  up  what  was  needed  by  giving 
me  good  friends,"  adding,  "General  Harrison  sold 
me  some  land  on  good  terms,  and  Ezekiel  Hughes, 
a  wealthy  farmer,  loaned  me  money  at  a  low  rate 
of  interest,  and  on  long  time,  when  it  was  needed, 
and  in  this  way  I  secured  a  home."  He  referred 
to  one  experience  of  his  early  itinerant  life,  when, 
in  a  moment  of  real  need,  the  devil  tempted  him 
to  give  up  the  ministry.     Said  he:    "I   preached 

137 


Our  Heroes,  or 

three  times  during  the  day,  riding  long  distances 
through  rain  and  cold  between  the  appointments. 
I  reached  home  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  hungry 
and  weary,  having  had  nothing  to  eat  since  the 
early  morning.  At  that  time  we  had  but  little 
in  our  home  upon  which  to  subsist.  The  tempter 
took  advantage  of  my  hunger  and  weakness. 
While  sitting  with  bowed  head,  in  meditation 
and  prayer,  at  midnight  in  front  of  the  fire,  I 
suddenly  heard  the  song  of  angels.  They  were 
singing,  'Oh,  how  happy  are  they  who  their 
Savior  obey!'  thus  exhorting  me  to  be  faithful 
and  to  continue  in  the  service.  I  have  never 
since  heard  such  melody  or  listened  to  so  great  a 
choir.  From  that  moment  the  temptation  never 
again  returned." 

The  old  age  of  this  distinguished  servant  of 
God  was  a  benediction  to  the  community  in 
which  he  lived.  It  was  true  in  his  case  that 
"great  trials  had  made  a  great  saint."  The  even- 
tide of  his  good  and  useful  life  was  spent  at  his 
comfortable  home,  where  he  shared  the  tender, 
loving  care  and  ministrations  of  wife  and  chil- 
dren. He  was  beloved  and  honored  by  all  who 
knew  him — always  cheerful  and  happy,  and  ready 
to  do  good  by  word  or  deed.  He  was  in  great 
demand  to  preach  funerals,  and  to  perform 
wedding  ceremonies,  both  in  his  own  and  other 
denominations,  and  among  people  bearing  no 
church  connection.  During  his  ministerial  life 
he  preached  about  fifteen  hundred  funeral  ser- 
mons and  performed  about  the  same  number  of 

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United  Bretkre^i  Home  Missionaries 

marriage  ceremonies.    These  facts  alone  speak  of 
his  marvelous  popularity. 

On  Sunday,  November  4,  1884,  at  his  pleasant 
home  in  Cleves,  Ohio,  when  surrounded  by  his 
family  and  some  close  personal  friends,  the 
heavenly  chariot  came  and  bore  him  to  his  coro- 
nation, where  the  old  battle-scarred  veteran  ex- 
changed his  armor  for  a  crown  of  fadeless  glory. 
The  words  applied  to  John  L.  Dw^er  seem  alto- 
gether in  place  for  Father  Flinchbaugh :  "He 
was  a  graduate  of  God's  school  for  heroes."  His 
body  sleeps  in  the  cemetery  near  Zion  Chapel, 
three  miles  from  Cleves,  Ohio,  awaiting  the  res- 
urrection morning. 


139 


CHAPTER  IX. 

JONATHAN  WEAVER. 

looted  Pastor,  Presiding  Elder,  and  Bishop. 

What  Bishop  Matthew  Simpson  was  to  Meth- 
odism, and  Bishop  Phillips  Brooks  was  to  the 
Episcopal  Chuirch,  and  Dr.  Washington  Gladden 
is  to  Congregationalism,  and  what  Senator  Alli- 
son was  to  Iowa,  and  Senator  John  Sherman  to 
Ohio,  Bishop  Jonathan  Weaver  was  to  the 
United  Brethren  Church. 

This  remarkable  man  was  born  of  poor  parents 
in  Carroll  County,  Ohio,  February  23, 1824 ;  grew 
up  on  a  farm ;  was  converted  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen; entered  the  ministry  at  twenty,  and  for 
more  than  half  a  century  was  a  prominent  factor 
in  all  the  aggressively  religious  work  of  the 
Church. 

If  to  be  born  obscure  and  die  famous  is  the 
acme  of  human  felicity,  then  Bishop  Weaver 
mounted  the  summit  of  human  happiness. 

His  name  became  a  household  word  every- 
where among  United  Brethren.  Perhaps  no  one 
ever  had  the  hold  on  them  that  he  possessed. 
His  peculiar  style  of  writing  secured  for  his 
newspaper  articles  a  wide  reading,  and  brought 
him  in  touch  with  the  Church  in  all  its  borders. 

As  a  man  he  attracted  people  in  different 
ways.  His  physical  appearance  always  excited 
attention.     In  figure  he  was  tall  and  command- 

140 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ing,  and  in  facial  expression  pleasing  and  capti- 
vating. In  his  later  life,  his  long  white  hair, 
which  touched  the  shoulders,  and  his  full  beard, 
gave  him  a  patriarchal  appearance,  and  led  the 
multitudes  to  revere  him.  His  genius  for  mak- 
ing friends  was  extraordinary.  He  had  the 
faculty  of  drawing  them  with  silken  chords,  and 
then  of  binding  them  to  him  with  hooks  of  steel. 

He  was  a  plain  man,  and  so  could  make  him- 
self at  home  with  the  commonest  of  the  common 
people;  and  yet  he  was  perfectly  at  ease  in  the 
most  cultured  circles.  He  never  assumed  dignity, 
nor  tried  to  put  on  airs.  In  the  scope  of  his 
prayers,  sympathy,  and  service,  he  counted  him- 
self the  servant  of  all.  Hundreds  refer  with 
pride  to  the  fact  that  at  some  time  Bishop 
Weaver  was  a  guest  in  their  home,  and  tell  of 
his  pious  conversation  and  fatherly  advice. 

During  his  long,  active  ministry  no  one  ever 
saw  in  him  anything  unworthy  a  Christian  gen- 
tleman, and  high  Church  official.  He  possessed 
a  lofty  scorn  of  all  cheap  tricks,  and  of  all 
tricksters  as  well.  He  despised  hypocrisy 
wherever  found,  and  especially  in  the  sacred 
ministerial  calling.  He  kept  himself  aloof,  by 
many  leagues,  from  ecclesiastical  politics,  and 
therefore  never  affiliated  with  rings  and  cliques 
in  Church  circles.  Even  his  opposers,  few  as 
they  were,  respected  him  because  of  the  broth- 
erly consideration  and  gentlemanly  courtesy 
with  which  he  invairiably  treated  them. 

141 


Our  Heroes,  or 

As  a  Christian  he  had  a  clear  and  satisfactory 
experience.  He  emphasized  the  New  Birth  and 
Spirit's  Witness  as  fundamental.  His  whole 
doctrinal  system  was  simple  and  easily  under- 
stood. He  believed  in  prayer,  in  revivals,  in  the 
mourner's  bench,  and  in  getting  religion — a 
thing  that  was  sufficiently  real,  he  said,  to  be 
worth  getting  and  holding  on  to.  Never,  until 
the  "books  are  opened,"  will  it  be  known  what 
such  a  life  is  worth  to  an  old,  wicked  world  like 
this. 

Bishop  Weaver,  however,  was  not  a  leader  in 
the  fullest  sense.  Some  of  the  essential  elements 
of  a  reformer  were  lacking  in  him.  He  was 
never  found  very  far  in  advance  of  public  senti- 
ment. He  naturally  shrank  from  the  cross-fire 
of  criticism  and  abuse  which  are  so  often 
directed  toward  the  man  who  dares  to  strike  out 
independently,  and  who  endeavors  to  create  con- 
victions in  harmony  with  his  own  ideals.  The 
Bishop's  place  was  with  the  people.  Like  a  giant 
he  stood  among  them,  and  towered  above  them. 
While  he  greatly  admired  the  courage  and  work 
of  the  pioneer  in  reform  movements,  he  only 
followed  him  as  the  masses  moved  in  that 
direction. 

When  the  great  battle  over  the  secrecy  question 
was  on  in  the  Church,  he  was  not  pronounced 
either  way  for  some  time,  though  in  his  earlier 
ministry  he  stood  with  the  radical  element  of  the 
Church.     As  a  student  of  passing  events,   he 

142 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

closely  watched  the  trend  of  things,  weighing 
carefully  and  critically  all  the  arguments  pro 
and  con  on  the  subject.  He  was  among  the  first 
to  observe  the  bad  effects  of  the  old  secrecy  law, 
and  the  disaster  it  was  likely  to  work  in  many 
of  the  conferences  and  local  churches.  Then  it 
was  that  he  took  a  stand  in  favor  of  revising  the 
constitution,  and  demanded  the  abolition  of  the 
Church's  restrictive  rule.  Others  had  fought 
the  battle — some  of  them  at  a  very  great  cost  to 
themselves  and  friends.  Every  argument  of  the 
opposition  had  been  met  and  answered.  In  a 
sense  the  work  of  the  leaders  was  done.  They 
had  gone  before,  like  the  Baptist,  and  had  blazed 
the  way  for  a  mighty  revolution  that  was  tO'  be 
as  far-reaching  in  its  effects  as  eternity  itself. 

No  one  was  quicker  than  Jonathan  Weaver 
to  discern  these  things,  and  no  one  exercised  so 
great  a  power  as  he  in  making  the  reform 
effective.  All  this  indicates  clearly  that  he  kept 
his  finger  on  the  pulse  of  the  Church,  as  few  did 
or  could,  and  knew  just  when  to  speak  in  order 
to  be  heard  and  heeded. 

As  a  preacher  he  excelled.  The  pulpit  was  his 
throne,  and  when  once  on  that  throne  he  was  a 
master  of  men.  The  art  of  public  address  was 
next  to  perfect  in  him,  though,  perhaps,  he  never 
studied  rhetoric  under  a  teacher  an  hour  in 
his  life.  He  was  a  born  orator.  His  speech 
had  the  charm  of  magic,  the  magic  was  all 
divine.    In  a  remarkable  degree  he  possessed  the 

143 


Our  Heroes,  or 

faculty  of  blending  humor  and  pathos  and  logic 
all  in  the  same  discourse.  One  moment  his 
hearers  were  touched  into  laughter  and  applause 
by  the  ripples  of  wit  that  flowed  from  his  lips; 
the  next  moment  they  were  made  to  weep  by 
some  touching  incident  he  would  relate  in  his 
own  inimitable  style ;  and,  following  these  plays 
upon  the  emotions  of  his  heairers,  there  would 
likely  come  bursts  of  argument,  deep  and  pro- 
found, that  would  fairly  entrance  the  more 
thoughtful  among  his  auditors. 

His  tremendous  personality,  his  clear-cut 
English,  and  perfect  diction,  coupled  with  an 
unfaltering  faith  in  the  old  Book,  and  his  all- 
consuming  desire  to  save  men,  made  him  the 
peer  of  the  mightiest  pulpiteers  of  his  day,  and 
will  send  him  down  in  history  as  one  of  the 
greatest  among  the  great. 

In  many  respects  he  was  of  the  Abraham 
Lincoln  type — simple  in  life,  unique  in  style, 
trenchant  in  humor,  and  eloquent  and  forceful 
in  argument.  His  very  presence  in  the  public 
assembly  was  always  an  inspiration. 

In  debate  he  was  a  master,  and,  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  was  somewhat  inclined  to  contro- 
versy. When  the  doctrines  of  his  Church  were 
assailed  he  defended  them  with  the  adroitness  of 
a  general,  and  with  the  courage  of  a  hero.  He 
built  up  around  him  fortifications  of  Bible  truth 
that  were  insur'mountable  by  his  antagonists. 

144 


JONATHAN    WEAVER 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

He  held  eight  great  public  debates — three  on 
the  mode,  design,  and  subjects  of  "Christian 
Baptism,"  four  on  "Universalism,"  and  one  on 
"Slavery."  His  greatest  battle  was  with  Rev. 
Josiah  Davis,  a  Universalist,  and  lasted  four 
days.  It  was  a  conflict  of  giants,  each  at  his 
best  and  determined  to  win. 

In  his  last  argument  the  Bishop  finally  turned 
to  the  moderator  and  asked  how  much  time  he 
had  left.  "Eight  minutes,"  Avas  the  reply.  Then 
it  was  that  he  made,  perhaps,  the  appeal  of  his 
life.  It  was  a  climax  which  swei)t  the  great 
audience  like  a  storm.  Among  other  things,  he 
said:  "We  have  now  come  to  the  end  of  this 
discussion.  We  are  all  going  to  eternity.  How 
awfully  solemn  the  reflection !  We  shall  soon  be 
there.  I  have  taught  you  the  doctrine  I  believe. 
Christ,  our  salvation,  died  for  us.  All  who  believe 
in  him  shall  live  forever.  Friends,  accept  him, 
and  you  shall  never  die.  When  the  end  comes 
you  may  say  with  Alfred  Cookman,  'I  go  sweep- 
ing through  the  gates  into  the  new  Jerusalem.' 
I  warn  you  against  the  lake  of  fire.  I  tell  you, 
friends,  there  is  danger  in  trifling  with  eternal 
things.  God  is  good,  but  he  also  is  just.  I  can- 
not promise  you  eternal  life  according  to  Univer- 
salism; but  if  you  obey  the  gospel,  thank  God, 
you  shall  live  forever.  The  city  of  God  is  open 
to  you  now.  Through  faith  in  Jesus  you  may 
eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise 
of  God.     And  when  death-drops  stand  on  your 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

marble  brow,  you  may  say,  'Light  breaks  in/  and 
then  you  shall  meet  the  moving  millions  who, 
like  a  cloud  of  glory,  are  circling  around  the 
great  white  throne.  In  hope  of  the  joys  of  the 
better  land,  we  say,  farewell.  Let  us  sing, 
'Praise  God,  from  w^hom  all  blessings  flow.' " 

The  effect,  so  eye-witnesses  affirm,  was  inde- 
scribable. The  people  rose  tO'  their  feet,  while 
amens  and  shouts  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
house.  Kev.  Mr.  Davis  turned  as  pale  as  a 
corpse.  The  tide  was  against  him.  He  had  met 
his  conqueror,  and  lost  the  field. 

Two  years  later,  when  asked  if  he  cared  to 
meet  Bishop  Weaver  in  another  debate,  he 
replied  that  he  had  left  that  kind  of  work  in 
other  hands. 

The  Bishop  never  failed  to  put  the  aliens  to 
flight,  yet  he  never  carried  the  battle  into  their 
camp.  His  very  attitude  seemed  to  make  him 
say,  "I  stand  for  the  defense  of  the  Church; 
harm  it  if  you  dare."  And  how  essential  such 
defenders  of  the  truth !  They  are  of  incalculable 
value  in  strengthening  the  faith  of  believers,  and 
in  quieting  those  apprehensions  which  so  often 
arise  as  to  the  stability  of  the  Church,  and  the 
permanency  of  the  work. 

It  may  be  said  of  the  good  Bishop  that  he  was 
a  veritable  magazine  of  evangelistic  dynamite, 
and  his  supply  was  next  to  exhaustless.  The 
very  sight  of  a  great  crowd  at  conference,  or 
at  a  camp-meeting,  set  his  heart  ablaze  with  a 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

desire  to  preach  Christ  to  them ;  and  to  all 
eternity  thousands  will  thank  God  for  the  mes- 
sages of  hope  and  salvation  brought  to  them 
while  on  earth  by  this  mighty  prophet  of  the 
truth.  The  thrill  of  his  great  discourses  was 
felt  throughout  the  whole  Church.  Nearly 
everywhere  the  older  people  tell  about  the  won- 
derful sermons  he  preached  in  his  palmier  days. 
Just  how  those  same  discourses  would  affect 
the  people  at  this  time  we  do  not  know.  Possibly 
they  would  not  stir  the  emotions,  and  arouse 
enthusiasm  as  they  once  did.  Lyman  Beecher, 
and  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  George  Whitefield 
could  hardly  gather  about  them,  if  here  now, 
such  vast  audiences  as  they  once  did,  and  hold 
them  spellbound  for  hours  at  a  time.  Conditions 
have  changed  in  the  last  hundred  years.  The 
people  to-day  are  cirammed  with  sermons  and 
lectures  and  special  progTams.  As  intelligence 
increases  the  emotions  are  held  under  better 
control.  But  Bishop  Weaver  would  be  a  great 
preacher  if  he  were  yet  among  us.  He  possessed 
in  a  large  degree  the  elements  which  enter  into 
a  successful  ministry.  He  knew  the  Scriptures ; 
he  knew  men ;  he  knew  Christ  as  his  personal 
Savior;  his  vision  was  mighty  in  its  sweep;  his 
heart  overflowed  with  love;  the  right  word  was 
always  on  his  lips;  the  fire  of  eloquence  flashed 
in  his  eyes.  No  wonder  he  could  preach!  He 
seldom  failed  to  stir  the  emotions,  but  these 
were  reached  through  the  intelligence.     There 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

was  always  enough  of  the  intellectual  in  his 
sermons  to  engage  and  interest  the  mind,  while 
the  warmth  of  soul,  and  a  compelling  prophetic 
energy,  took  the  people  by  storm.  And  he  was 
right,  both  in  theory  and  in  practice.  Appeals 
that  arouse  the  emotions  without  convincing  the 
judgment  do  not  bear  much  fruit  in  the  end;  nor 
can  much  more  be  said  of  sermons  directed 
solely  to  the  intellect.  Every  normal  individual 
is  possessed  of  emotions  as  well  as  intelligence, 
and  every  highly  successful  preacher  must  aim 
to  influence  both.  But  few  men  ever  succeeded 
in  doing  this  better  than  did  Bishop  Weaver. 

At  Westerville,  Ohio,  during  a  revival  many 
years  ago,  he  preached  with  such  marvelous 
power  one  evening,  that  when  the  final  invitation 
was  given,  sixty  penitents  rushed  to  the  altar, 
the  most  of  whom  were  saved  before  leaving  the 
house.  The  scene  was  indescribably  sublime 
and  impressive. 

At  a  great  camp-meeting  held  at  Warsaw, 
Indiana,  by  a  sister  denomination,  he  dropped 
in  one  day  and  preached  for  them.  He  was  at 
his  best,  and  almost  set  the  camp  wild.  Doctor 
Foot,  of  New  York,  a  great  preacher  himself, 
was  so  overcome  with  emotion  that  he  could  not 
speak  for  a  time.  Finally,  he  exclaimed, 
"Blessed  man!  How  I  wish  I  could  put  my 
arms  around  him,"  whereupon  the  Bishop  said, 
"Doctor,  I  will  help  you,"  and  there,  for  a  time, 
the  two  great  men  stood  in  each  other's  embrace 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

weeping  like  children.  The  thrill  occasioned  by 
such  a  scene,  we  may  imagine,  was  something 
like  that  which  the  saints  in  Isaac  Long's  barn 
experienced  when  they  saw  Otterbein  take 
Boehmi  in  his  arms,  and  heard  him  say.  "We  are 
brethren."  Afterwards  Doctor  Foot  said,  "I 
have  met  but  few  divines  in  America  so  simple, 
yet  so  profound." 

On  one  occasion  he  made  the  resurrection 
appear  so  real  that  his  hearers  unconsciously 
arose  to  their  feet,  and  bent  over  as  if  to  see  the 
opening  grave. 

He  was  not  given  to  boasting,  and  seldom 
referred  to  his  own  achievements.  But  one  day, 
when  the  writer  was  in  his  home,  he  became 
somewhat  reminiscent,  and  told  of  a  certain 
camp-meeting  experience  which  he  once  had  with 
his  Methodist  brethren.  For  years  they  had 
invited  him  to  preach  for  them  at  their  great 
gatherings.  At  the  particular  meeting  referred 
to,  he  was  to  discourse  in  the  afternoon  of  a 
certain  Sunday.  A  prominent  Methodist  divine 
occupied  the  morning  hour,  and  most  favorably 
impressed  the  listening  multitude.  Some  of  the 
preachers  hastened  to  tender  tlie  Bishop  in 
advance  their  heartfelt  sympathies  in  view  of 
his  difficult  task  in  the  afternoon.  But  the  old 
pulpiteer  understood  the  situation  perfectly.  No 
man  could  have  known  it  better  than  he.  He 
said :  "I  took  one  of  my  old  texts.  I  knew  every 
foot  of  the  ground  I  was  to  go  over,  and  thought 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

I  knew  what  the  people  needed.  The  good  Lord 
wonderfully  helped  me  that  afternoon;  and,  be- 
fore I  was  done,  you  could  have  heard  those 
Methodists  shouting  a  mile  away."  It  was  fol- 
lowing this  masterful  message  that  one  of  the 
Methodist  secretaries  was  heard  to  say,  "Meth- 
odism has  no  Weaver  in  its  bishopric." 

Bishop  Weaver  was  great  without  any  effort 
to  become  so.  His  greatness,  it  may  be  truth- 
fully affirmed,  was  immeasurably  above  the  arts 
by  which  inferior  minds  thrust  themselves  into 
notice.  The  qualities  of  self-respect  and  modesty 
were  marked  in  his  whole  life.  He  was  just  to 
himself  without  flattery,  and  too  single-hearted 
and  honest  to  accept  flattery  from  others.  What 
an  example  to  us  all  in  these  regards ! 

Bishop  Weaver  possessed  a.  roseate  nature. 
No  one  ever  saw  him  in  the  midst  of  shadows. 
With  him  the  sun  of  hope  and  good  cheer  never 
went  down.  His  genial  nature  and  flow  of 
humor  served  him  well  in  his  public  life,  and 
especially  in  the  capacity  of  a  presiding  officer. 
Many  times  in  annual  and  General  Conferences, 
when  discussions  became  heated  and  personal, 
and  the  feeling  was  intense,  his  tact  and  pleas- 
antry would  quiet  things  down,  and  effectually 
relieve  the  tension.  When  presiding  he  never 
lost  his  head,  and  seldom  permitted  anybody  else 
to  lose  his. 

As  to  the  future  life  he  did  not  possess  a 
shadow  of  a  doubt.    Glimpses  of  the  glory  world 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

were  constantly  flitting  before  his  vision.  His 
faith  in,  and  hope  of,  immortality,  cropped  out 
in  nearly  every  sermon  he  preached,  and  in  every 
book  he  wrote.  Indeed,  it  has  been  said  that  no 
matter  where  the  Bishop  started  in  his  sermon, 
he  was  almost  sure  to  end  it  in  heaven.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  many  volumes  he  pro- 
duced. The  last  thing  Avritten  is  about  the  life 
beyond.  His  face  was  constantly  turned  toward 
the  better  country,  because  his  Lord  and  his 
citizenship  were  there. 

On  his  seventy-sixth  birthday,  which  occurred 
February  23, 1900,  a  number  of  his  friends  called 
on  him  in  his  Dayton  home  in  the  early  evening 
to  pay  him  their  respects,  and,  as  far  as  might 
be,  cheer  him  in  his  afflictions.  Anticipating 
their  coming,  he  prepared  an  address  of  mar- 
velous beauty  and  strength.  Editor  Kephart 
called  it,  "A  Voice  from  Beulah  Land."  After 
giving  a  brief  review  of  his  life,  he  turned,  as 
might  have  been  expected,  to  the  future,  and 
said  things  so  charmingly  beautiful  and  true 
that  we  have  never  forgotten  them.  As  he 
sounded  the  bugle  notes  of  faith  and  hope,  feel- 
ings of  rapture  were  kindled  in  every  soul 
present. 

"But  looking  forward,"  he  said,  "despite  the 
thick  foliage  which  grows  along  the  banks  of  the 
river,  I  now  and  then  catch  glimpses  of  what 
seems  to  be  a  country — a  real  place.  These 
glimpses  come  at  all  hours,  by  day  and  by  night, 

151 


Our  Heroes,  or 

winter  and  summer,  but  at  no  time  has  there 
appeared  a  shadow  or  any  gloom ;  so  I  conclude 
that  they  have  no  night  in  that  country.  I  some- 
times catch  glimpses  of  domes  and  spires  and 
towers,  but  no  monuments  or  anything  that 
resembles  a  cemetery;  so  I  conclude  there  is  no 
death  over  there.  Beautiful  forms  pass  and 
repass  before  my  vision,  but  they  are  quickly 
gone — just  a  glimpse,  and  they  are  gone.  I  turn 
to  the  materialistic  skeptic  and  ask  for  an 
explanation  of  these  strange,  yet  delightful 
glimpses.  He  says,  'It's  nothing — only  a  fancy, 
a  delusion.  Death  ends  all.'  I  turn  to  the 
agnostic  with  the  same  question,  and  he  says, 
'I  don't  know.'  What  shall  I  do?  I  cannot  go 
back,  for  it  is  evening  time  now,  and  the  sun  is 
almost  down.  Sliut  in  on  all  sides,  with  only  a 
stej)  between  me  and  the  grave,  and  nothing 
before  me  but  annihilation — eternal  nothingness. 
Again,  I  ask,  What  shall  I  do?  To  whom  shall 
I  go?  Are  all  my  hopes,  longings,  aspirations, 
and  expectations  about  to  perish  forever? 
Wherein,  then,  lies  the  difference  between  not 
beginning  to  be,  and  ceasing  to  be?  Can  it  be 
that  nature,  reason,  and  consciousness  have  all 
been  playing  false  with  me?  Are  they  nothing 
more  than  miserable  cheats  concerning  the  most 
important  and  far-reaching  problems  of  human 
existence?  Is  there  no  justice,  love,  or  mercy 
anywhere  in  the  universe?  Is  there  no  God  other 
than  one  of  cruelty  and  deception?    The  case  is 

152 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

becoming  desperate,  for  the  mists  are  beginning 
to  fall,  and  the  roar  of  the  ocean's  waves,  borne 
upon  wings  of  wind,  is  beginning  to  fall  upon 
the  ear.  Pity  the  sorrows  of  a  poor  old  man 
standing  within  a  step  of  eternal  nothingness. 

"But,  hark!  A  voice  from  beyond  the  moon 
and  stars,  like  the  chime  of  a  thousand  silver- 
toned  bells,  comes  ringing  down,  exclaiming, 
'Immortality' !  In  response  to  that  there  comes 
springing  up  like  angels  from  the  temple  of  the 
heart  the  simple  words,  'Hallelujah !  Amen  and 
amen.    Immortality' ! 

"Then  my  glimpses  are  not  all  fancy  and 
miserable  cheats.  If  there  is  anything  true, 
anything  firm,  anything  that  abides,  it  is  immor- 
tality— life  everlasting  in  heaven. 

"If  from  under  the  shadow  of  life's  evening 
tree  such  glimpses  may  be  had,  how  will  it 
appear  after  the  shadows  are  all  gone,  and  the 
clouds  are  lifted,  and  the  mists  rolled  away? 
The  half  is  not  now  understood.  By  and  by  the 
glass  through  which  we  now  see  darkly  will  be 
removed,  and  we  shall  see  as  we  are  seen,  and 
know  as  we  are  known." 

The  closing  hours  of  the  Bishop's  life  were 
full  of  peace.  So  his  last  message  to  the  Church 
would  indicate.  He  said :  "I  have  not  a  doubt  as 
to  the  truth  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  I 
believed  what  I  preached,  and  preached  what  I 
believed.  I  die  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel 
I  preached  to  others.     Jesus  Christ  is  all,  and 

153 


Our  Heroes,  or 

in  all.  Tell  the  Church  never  to  depart  from 
the  doctrines  held  by  the  fathers,  that  a  vital 
union  with  Christ  is  essential  to  the  Christian 
life."  His  last  recorded  words  were,  "I  shall  see 
the  King  in  his  beauty.     I  feel  perfectly  safe." 

The  golden  sheaf  was  ripe  for  the  celestial 
harvest,  and  awaited  the  coming  of  the  angel 
reaper;  and  on  the  sixth  of  February,  1901,  at 
three-thirty  in  the  morning,  that  reaper  came, 
and  Bishop  Weaver  "was  gathered  unto  his 
people."  His  funeral,  which  occurred  two  days 
later,  brought  together  a  large  number  of  sor- 
rowing friends,  not  only  of  his  own  city,  but 
from  many  other  sections  of  the  Church.  All 
his  associates  in  the  bishopric  were  present  to 
speak  words  of  appreciation,  and  to  let  fall  upon 
his  sleeping  dust  the  tear  of  regret. 

Servant  of  the  Most  High;  winner  of  souls; 
hero  of  faith;  knight  of  the  Cross;  glorified 
spirit;  brother  and  father  in  Israel,  we  bid  thee 
good-bye,  but  hope  to  hail  thee  again  on  some 
sweet  morning  with  all  the  redeemed  in  thy 
heavenly  home. 

"There  saints  of  all  ages  in  harmony  meet. 
Their   Savior   and   brethren   transported   to 

greet ; 
While  anthems  of  rapture  unceasingly  roll. 
And  the  smile  of  the  Lord  is  the  feast  of  the 
soul." 


154 


CHAPTER  X. 

GEORGE  W.  STATTON. 

An  Itinerant  of  Fifty-Tico  Years. 

History  bears  to  us  the  fragrance  of  noble 
characters  who  wrought  in  faith  and  died  in 
triumph.  We  who  live  to-day  cannot  know  to 
what  extent  we  are  indebted  to  them^  for  their 
part  in  moulding  the  life  and  shaping  the  des- 
tiny of  our  nation,  and  for  the  exalted  service 
they  rendered  the  Church  they  so  dearly  loved. 
Their  spirit  was  heroic.  Thoughts  of  ease  and 
earthly  reward  never  entered  their  minds. 

Horace  Bushnell  once  said :  "Great  trials 
make  great  saints,  and  deserts  and  stone  pillows 
prepare  for  an  open  heaven  and  an  angel  crowded 
ladder. 

So  the  heroes  of  the  decades  long  agone  were 
great  saints.  They  knew  where  service  and 
sacrifice  converged,  and  rejoiced  daily  and 
greatly  in  the  fellowship  of  Him  who  gave  his 
precious  life  for  the  world. 

Among  the  imperial  characters  produced  by 
the  Virginia]  Conference  was  George  W.  Statton, 
who  was  born  in  Hampshire  County,  now  West 
Virginia,  on  the  eleventh  of  October,  1825.  He 
was  one  of  eleven  children,  having  five  brothers 
and  five  sisters.  In  the  veins  of  these  hardy 
scions  coursed  the  mingled  blood  of  an  English 

155 


Our  Heroes,  or 

and  German  ancestry,  and  from  a  noble  parent- 
age had  descended  traits  of  character  and 
peculiar  talents  which  distingiiished  the  family 
throughout  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

George  had  three  brothers,  John  F.,  Isaac  K., 
and  David  E.,  who  also  became  ministers.  Isaac, 
especially,  won  distinction  as  a  pastor  and  pre- 
siding elder,  and  was  highly  regarded  in  the 
councils  of  the  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  grew  up  on  a  farm, 
attended  such  common  schools  as  his  day 
afforded,  professed  religion  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, and  entered  the  ministry  at  twenty. 

While  he  did  not  have  the  training  he  needed 
and  craved,  he  was,  nevertheless,  a  close, 
thoughtful  student,  and  by  dint  of  personal 
effort  and  perseverance  acquired  a  vast  store 
of  knowledge,  and  became  mighty  as  a  prophet 
of  truth. 

After  teaching  and  preaching  a  year  under  the 
direction  of  the  presiding  elder,  he  joined  the 
Annual  Conference  at  Churchville,  Virginia,  in 
1845,  Bishop  Eussell  presiding.  Thus  in  the 
very  outset  he  found  himself  associated  with 
Jacob  Bachtel,  Jacob  Markwood,  and  others  who 
were  great  as  preachers,  and  eminent  because 
of  their  leadership  in  the  Churcli. 

His  first  field  was  Frederick  Circuit,  where, 
with  W.  R.  Coursey,  pastor  in  charge,  he 
preached  at  twenty-four  appointments,  receiving 
for  tbe  year's  work  just  ninety  dollars.    Several 

156 


United  Brethren  Hoine  Missionaries 

good  revivals  were  held  and  ninety  new  members 
added  to  the  Church. 

The  followino-  year  he  was  sent  to  Jackson 
charge,  far  west  of  the  Alleghenies.  This  meant 
a  move  of  more  than  three  hundred  miles,  which, 
no  doubt,  thoroughly  tested  the  young  man's 
devotion  to  his  chosen  work.  He  visited  twenty- 
one  preaching  places  every  three  weeks,  and 
traveled  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  in 
making  the  round.  But  he  was  strong  for  the 
tasks  committed  to  himi.  Being  fired  and  thrilled 
mth  a  holy  passion  for  souls,  he  threw  himself 
with  tremendous  energy  into  revival  work.  And 
he  succeeded,  as  the  record  shows.  We  have  no 
means  of  knowing  how  many  were  converted 
at  his  meetings,  but  his  report  shows  that  one 
hundred  members  were  received  into'  church- 
fellowship.  At  one  of  his  appointments  there 
were  ninety  professions  in  six  days^ — the  time 
allotted  to  each  revival.  His  salary  aggregated 
one  hundred  dollars  even.  A  coincidence  may 
be  seen  in  the  fact  that  during  the  first  two 
years  of  his  ministry  he  received  a  member  for 
every  dollar  paid  himi  for  his  services.  He  and 
John  Haney  this  year  traveled  over  much  of  the 
territory  now  covered  by  the  West  Virginia 
Conference.  To'  make  one  round  on  the  latter's 
circuit  required  a  journey  of  two  hundred  miles. 

But  now  the  young  preacher  must  gO'  back 
to  the  older  portion  of  the  conference  again, 
and,  consequently,  at  the  close  of  the  year  he  re- 
traced his  three-hundred-mile  journey    to  Win- 

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Oior  Heroes,  or 

Chester  Circuit.  This  seemed  tO'  him  and  others 
like  an  unreasonable  move,  but  it  had  been  made 
possible  by  the  itinerant  system  under  which 
he  served,  and  which  required  that  he  be  "sub- 
ject toi  the  counsels  of  his  brethren."  This  year 
John  W.  Perry  was  his  fellow-laborer.  He 
found  thirty-two  appointments,  and  to  fill  them 
all  required  five  weeks.  If  he  preached  three 
times  each  Sabbath,  then  in  making  the  round 
he  wa,s  compelled  to  preach  seventeen  sermons 
between  Sundays.  The  two  men  together  re- 
ceived only  |230  for  the  year's  work.  This  was 
small  pay,  to^  be  sure,  but  great  victories  were 
won.  Sweeping  revivals  spread  all  over  the 
field,  and  a,  multitude  was  led  to  repentance. 
How  else  could  the  Lord  of  the  Church  do  than 
honor  and  bless  such  heroism  and  self-forget- 
fulness  on  the  part  of  his  servants? 

On  the  fifth  of  February,  of  this  year,  1851, 
Mr.  Statton  was  married  to  Martha  C.  Punk- 
houser,  in  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  and  in 
March  following  received  ordination  at  the 
hand  of  Bishop  Erb.  From  this  conference  he 
was  sent  again  to  Frederick  cliarge,  where  he 
had  spent  his  first  year,  which  certainly  spoke 
well  for  the  young  itinerant.  This  time,  how- 
ever, he  was  himself  preacher  in  charge,  Tvith 
L.  W.  Matthews  as  associate.  He  had  twenty 
appointments,  and  received  as  support  |200, 
But  the  year  closed  with  a  deep,  dark  shadow 
upon  his  heart  and  home.  The  black-winged 
angel  robbed  him  of  his  young  wife,  who  had 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

contributed  so  largely  to  his  success.  The  be- 
reavement, nevertheless,  brought  its  lesson  of 
trust  and  consolation,  and  the  ensuing  year  on 
the  same  field  was  one  of  victory  from  first  to 
last.  His  converts  and  accessions  numbered  one 
hundred  and  seventy. 

In  1855  he  was  married  again,  this  time  to 
Mary  E.  Punkhouser,  of  Strasburg,  Virginia, 
who  still  survives,  making  her  home  with  her 
son  at  Monta  Vista,  Colorado. 

The  same  year  he  was  made  presiding  elder 
of  what  was  known  as  the  "West  Virginia  Dis- 
trict," which  embraced  Buckhannon,  Glenville, 
Middle  Island,  Hartford  City,  West  Columbia, 
and  Mason  County  charges.  Hartford  was  a 
station.  East  and  west  the  territory  was  at 
least  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  long.  All 
this  distance  was  made  on  horseback,  and  much 
of  it  through  uninhabited  sections.  The  writer 
is  acquainted  with  nearly  eyery  mile  of  the  ter- 
ritory, and  can  appreciate  the  disadvantages 
under  which  he  labored. 

Such  was  the  process  of  making  a  new  con- 
ference. In  perusing  the  minutes  of  the  Vir- 
ginia and  Parkersburg  Conferences  in  their 
earlier  years,  one  is  especially  impressed  with 
the  rapidity  with  which  they  mapped  out  new 
charges.  The  work  of  the  boundary  committee 
was  of  first  importance,  and  its  report  was  al- 
ways awaited  with  special  interest. 

Some  pioneer  would  go  out  into  a  new  terri- 
tory and  take  up  ai  dozen  appointments,  and  in 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

some  instances  many  more,  forming  organiza- 
tions wherever  lie  coiild  hold  revivals.  Then 
the  conference  would  divide  the  field  into  two 
or  three  circuits,  or  missions,  each  preacher  ex- 
tending his  particular  charge  so  as  to  make  its 
division  necessary  in  a  year  or  two.  Through 
this  process  the  West  Virginia  Conference  has 
grown  from  six  toi  sixty  circuits  and  stations. 

For  thirty-one  years,  without  a  break,  Mr. 
Statton  preached  in  the  old  conference,  giving 
to  it  the  strength  of  his  best  manhood.  The 
minutes  from  1846  to  1877  show  him  to  have 
been  a  leading  spirit  in  all  its  aggressive  work. 
His  name  is  prominently  connected  with  every- 
thing which  meant  progress  and  success.  He 
not  only  traveled  the  most  important  fields,  but 
spent,  all  told,  ten  years  in  district  work,  a  part 
of  the  time  having  charge  of  the  entire  confer- 
ence territory. 

During  the  dark  days  of  the  bloody  Civil  War 
he  never  turned  aside  from  his  one  w^ork  through 
fear,  or  for  any  other  reason,  though  at  times 
his  life  was  in  peril.  Writing  of  those  days  a 
short  time  before  he  died,  he  recalled  with  much 
tenderness  the  sad  experiences  through  which 
he  was  called  to  pass.  When  he  left  home  he 
did  not  know  that  he  would  ever  return.  He 
says:  "Many  a  time  during  the  war  when  I 
kissed  my  wife  and  children  good-bye  upon  leav- 
ing home,  I  did  not  know  that  I  should  ever  see 
them  again.  Human  life  was  cheap  in  the  heat 
of  those  awful  days;  no  one  was  safe." 

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GEORGE   W.    STATTON 


Vnited  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

The  whole  country  through  which  he  traveled 
was  overrun  by  guerrillas  and  marauding  bands, 
in  whose  estimation  the  rights  and  lives  of  po- 
litical opponents  were  entitled  to  but  little  con- 
sideration. How  the  preacher's  heroism  flames 
out  in  all  his  words  and  acts!  and  what  ad- 
miration is  kindled  within  us  for  the  redoubtable 
knights  of  the  cross! 

In  times  of  strife  and  bloodshed,  when  faith- 
ful heralds  were  hunted  down  and  captured,  or 
were  compelled  to  flee  to  other  sections  for 
safety,  he  remained  at  his  post  of  duty  and 
service. 

As  a  revivalist  he  excelled.  His  tender  gospel 
messages,  his  sweet  singing  and  glowing  passion 
for  souls,  put  him  close  to  the  multitudes  and 
made  his  success  phenomenal.  Kev.  W.  O. 
Smith,  of  Missouri  Conference,  was  led  to  re- 
pentance at  a  meeting  held  by  Rev.  Mr.  Statton 
in  1865  in  Otterbein  Church,  Rockingham 
County.  He  says  he  remembers  distinctly  to 
this  day  portions  of  the  great  sermon  the 
revivalist  preached  the  night  of  his  con- 
version. His  text  was  Jeremiah  12 :  5 :  "If 
thou  hast  run  with  the  footmen  and  they  have 
wearied  thee  ....  then  how  wilt  thou  do  in 
the  swelling  of  Jordan?"  The  meeting  resulted 
in  one  hundred  and  thirty  professions.  Not 
infrequently  whole  communities  were  swept  by 
his  mighty  discourses  as  the  forest  bends  before 
the  onrushing  storm. 

161 


Our  Heroes^  or 

He  had  unbounded  faith  in  the  divine  mess- 
age, and  proclaimed  it  as  all  sufficient  for  every 
human  need.  "Man  is  not  to  improve  the 
gospel,"  he  argued,  "but  to  be  improved  by  it/' 
Many  of  his  sermons  were  prepared  on  his  knees, 
with  the  open  Bible  before  him.  Is  it  any  wonder 
that  he  became  a  very  "flame  of  fire"  when  once 
electrified  by  the  truth  he  preached?  But  to 
be  at  his  best  he  must  feel  the  touch  of  sympathy. 
Though  prepossessing  in  physical  appearance, 
and  though  his  clarion  voice  fairly  enchanted 
his  auditors,  yet  it  required  a  chorus  of  hearty 
mnens  to  make  the  fire  flash  in  his  eyes,  and  his 
sermon  to  blaze  T\dth  holy  fervor. 

He  wais  honored  with  membership  in  five 
General  Conferences,  where  he  was  always  in- 
fluential, manifesting  a  lively  interest  in  all  the 
great  problems  of  the  Church.  The  breadth  of 
his  sympathy  was  noted  by  all.  At  the  session 
of  1873,  when  a  prolonged  discussion  occurred 
over  cutting  off  a  number  of  small  conferences 
from  missionary  support,  he  championed  the 
cause  of  the  conferences  thus  threatened,  and 
did  more,  perhaps,  than  any  one  else  to  prevent 
an  action  which  he,  with  others,  felt  would  prove 
almost  fatal  to  their  further  success.  His  strong- 
est plea  was  for  Missouri,  which  he  declared 
appealed  to  the  heart  of  the  whole  Church,  and 
should  be  sustained  in  its  work  regardless  of 
what  it  might  cost. 

In  1876  he  moved  to  Iowa,  whither  others  of 
the  family  had  gone,  and  united  with  the  Des 

162 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Moines  Conference.  Here  he  threw  himself, 
with  his  great  personality,  into  the  work  of  the 
Church,  serving  several  fields,  and  spending  two 
3'ears  as  presiding  elder. 

For  the  next  twenty-one  years  he  stood  with 
his  brethren  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle,  which 
rounded  out  more  than  a  half  century  in  his 
heaven-appointed  work. 

While  traveling  a  district  in  1880,  he  was  in  a 
railroad  VkTeck  and  his  arm  was  badly  crushed. 
With  a  number  of  others  he  lay  fastened  in  the 
debris  from  near  midnight  till  daylight,  while 
rain  and  snow  pelted  him  almost  incessantly. 
The  wounded  were  brought  to  Des  ]Moines  and 
laid  upon  the  floor  of  the  depot,  where  they  re- 
mained until  medical  attention  could  be  given. 
The  injured  arm  kept  him  at  home  for  many 
weeks. 

His  purity  of  life,  and  his  faithfulness  as 
Christ's  ambassador,  made  his  years  in  Des 
Moines  Conference  a  benediction  to  the  Church, 
and  especially  to  the  ministry  with  which  he 
toiled.  Dr.  E.  W.  Curtis,  who  knew  him  well, 
has  this  word :  "He  was  really  a  great  and  good 
man,  and  strong  as  a  leader  and  organizer.  His 
life  was  full  of  sunshine." 

Though  humble  in  spirit,  and  not  given  to 
boasting,  he  was  proud  of  his  record,  and  re- 
ferred to  it  often  with  expressions  of  deepest 
satisfaction.  He  rejoiced  exceedingly  because 
Grod  had  graciously  permitted  him  to  spend  so 
long  a  period  in  the  ministry  of  his  church.  In 

163 


Our  Heroes,  or 

a  letter  to  the  writer  lie  said :  "I  never  resigned 
a  charge  in  fifty-two  years,  but  one — a  district — 
and  that  was  on  account  of  sickness.  But  that 
year  I  kept  on  preaching  ais  strength  permitted, 
and  organized  three  new  classes  and  Sabbath 
schools.  Nor  did  I  ever  drop  an  appointment 
from  any  field  that  was  given  me." 

His  call  to  the  ministry  was  clear  and  con- 
vincing. He  preached  in  obedience  to  a  divine 
decree.  He  wrote:  "I  love  the  ministry,  and  it 
is  more  to  me  than  anything  else.  My  greatest 
sorrow  is  that  I  must  stop  under  the  weight  of 
eighty  years  and  their  attending  infirmities.  My 
call  to  the  work  was  so  clear  and  decisive  that  I 
never  doubted  it.  It  came  to  me  in  the  death 
of  John  Gibbens,  a  promising  young  minister  of 
the  Virginia  Conference,  which  occurred  at  the 
home  of  Benjamin  Stickly  of  precious  memory." 
Some  who  shall  read  these  lines  will  recall 
his  presence  at  the  General  Conference  of  1897, 
which  met  in  Toledo,  Iowa.  One  evening  he 
told  the  great  audience  of  a  recent  illness  he 
had  suffered,  and  of  the  joy  unspeakable  that 
thrilled  his  heart  as  he  lay  in  the  borderland. 
"Though  my  friends  thought  I  was  dying,"  he 
said,  "I  never  was  so  happy  in  my  life.  I  could 
hear  the  bells  of  heaven  ringing.  The  gates 
swung  open  and  I  was  permitted  to  look  in  upon 
the  glory  world."  As  he  thus  talked  many  hearts 
were  strangely  touched,  and  many  eyes  were 
suffused  with  tears. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Upon  retiring  from  the  field  of  active  serv- 
ice, he  settled  at  Monta  Vista,  Colorado,  where 
he  quietly  spent  his  remaining  years.  How- 
ever, he  was  by  no  means  idle.  He  attended 
church  regularly  as  long  as  his  strength  per- 
mitted. The  churches  of  the  town  and  sur- 
rounding communities  soon  ascertained  his 
superior  qualities  as  a  preacher  and  secured 
his  services  on  many  occasions. 

The  year  before  hivS  death  he  wrote:  "I  am 
sorry  for  the  mistakes  and  failures  of  my  min- 
istry, and  wish  I  could  have  another  life  to 
spend  in  the  work  so  I  could  correct  the  errors 
of  the  past.  I  believe  in  the  old  orthodox 
Christianity — such  a  religion  as  my  mother 
carried  with  her  through  life.  I  expect  to  die 
in  the  faith.  Though  there  is  a  deep  mystery 
about  death  and  the  beyond,  I  stand  on  the 
platform  of  the  Oospel  as  taught  bv  Christ  and 
the  disciples.  When  we  leave  this  world  we 
are  at  sea,  without  chart  or  compass,  not  know- 
ing whither  we  are  bound,  if  we  let  the  Grospel 
go.  All  sectarianism  is  out  of  me  long  ago.  I 
believe  there  is  some  good  in  all  the  churches. 
Finally,  brethren,  farewell.  Be  perfect.  Be  of 
good  comfort.  Be  of  one  mind.  Live  in  peace. 
'And  the  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be  mth 
you.       Amen." 

David,  his  only  living  brother,  bears  this 
testimony  to  his  devotion  and  strength.  "My 
brother  George  was  faithful  from  the  beginning 
of  his  ministry  in  all  that  pertained  to  a  United 

165 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Brethren  preaclier.  Well  do  I  remember  when 
a  small  boy  to  have  seen  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood assemble  to  hear  him,  and  they  were 
thrilled  from  start  to  finish  by  his  preaching, 
which  they  thought  could  not  be  equalled  by 
anybody  else.  I  often  visited  his  home,  and 
always  found  him  faithful  and  devoted."  Beau- 
tiful testimony  this  from  a  brother  in  the  flesh, 
who  knew  him  so  well,  and  watched  with  so 
much  interest  the  results  of  his  long  ministry. 

On  the  eighth  of  August,  1908,  after  a  few 
months  of  extreme  illness,  he  heard  the  last 
summons  and  ascended  the  shining  way  to  live 
in  the  white  light  of  the  throne  forever. 

The  funeral,  which  was  held  in  the  Presby- 
terian church,  was  largely  attended  and  deeply 
impressive.  Six  ministers  of  other  denomina- 
tions were  present  to  honor  his  memory,  and  to 
speak  words  of  appreciation  and  comfort. 

"Not  for  thee  shall  tears  be  given, 
Child  of  God  and  heir  of  heaven; 
For  he  gave  thee  sweet  release; 
Thine  the  Christian's  death  of  peace." 


166 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MICHAEL  LONG. 
Pioneer  Evangelist  of  Sandusky  Conference. 

The  early  fathers  and  promoters  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church  regarded  the  itinerancy  as  es- 
sential to  the  highest  success  in  the  extension  of 
the  Master's  kingdom.  The  history  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  would  seem  to  confirm  their  views. 
More  than  once  has  Christianity  been  saved  to 
the  world  by  this  process  of  propagating  its 
teachings.  They  were  itinerants  who,  in  the 
early  centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  made  Chris- 
tianity the  dominant  religion.  Eight  hundred 
years  later,  when  religion  had  become  degraded, 
and  the  hierarchical  system,  like  a  stranded  ship, 
was  breaking  in  pieces,  there  appeared  one  day 
an  itinerant,  Saint  Francis  of  Assissi,  who  so 
influenced  men  that  in  a  few  years,  from  the 
sierras  of  Spain  to  the  steppes  of  Russia,  from 
the  Tiber  to  the  Trent,  the  Baltic  Sea,  and  the 
Thames,  the  old  faith  in  its  fullest  vigor  was 
preached  in  almost  every  town  and  hamlet.  The 
great  Reformation  in  the  sixteenth  century,  of 
which  John  Wycliffe  was  the  morning  star,  was 
heralded  by  the  preaching  of  his  itinerant 
ministers. 

The  Christian  faith  will  always  need  its  apol- 
ogists, and  never,  perhaps,  have  the  Christian 

167 


Our  Heroes,  or 

student  and  thinker  had  graver  responsibilities 
laid  upon  them  than  during  these  recent  times; 
but  the  true  defenders  of  the  faith  are  not  faith's 
apologists,  but  faith's  apostles.  In  the  divine 
order  the  apologist  stands  always  behind  the 
evangelist  or  missionary.  Faith  lives  by  its 
evangelists.  Its  real  defense  is  its  diffusion.  The 
itinerant  system  made  possible  and  propagated 
the  evangelical  re^dval  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Its  leaders  were  a  militant  force,  and,  despite  all 
the  toils  and  hardships  involved,  they  gladly  as- 
sumed its  requirements,  and  went  forth  with  a 
firm  step  that  indicated  a  strong  faith  and  a  lofty 
objective.  It  is  to  such  self-denying  devotion,  to 
such  fixedness  of  purpose,  to  such  apostolic 
zeal,  and  to  such  glad-hearted  willingness 
to  make  the  gTeatest  sacrifices  for  the  gospel's 
sake  that  we  are  Indebted  for  the  establishment 
of  our  beloved  Zion,  its  spirit,  its  development, 
and  its  progress. 

Among  the  earliest  and  most  successful  of  the 
pioneer  missionaries  of  northwestern  Ohio,  was 
Jacob  Baulus,  founder  of  the  Sandusky  Confer- 
ence. In  1822  he  immigrated  with  his  family 
from  Frederick  County,  Maryland,  and  located 
in  the  forests  of  the  "Black  Swamp,"  near 
Lower  Sandusky,  now  Fremont,  Ohio.  Mission- 
ary work  was  projected  in  this  territory  by  the 
Muskingum  Conference.  Though  separated  from 
its  borders  by  an  untamed  wilderness  one  hun- 
(Ired  miles  in  length,  Mr.  Baulus  was  placed  in 

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United  Brethren  Home  3Iissionaries 

charge  of  the  new  mission  district.  Everywhere 
he  went  he  raised  np  preachers,  and  everywhere 
he  preached  sinners  were  converted.  The  confer- 
ence was  organized  in  1834.  Two  years  later, 
and  at  its  third  session.  Presiding  Elder  Baulus 
presented  a  young  man  for  membership,  in  whom 
he  recognized  the  possibilities  of  an  able  minister 
and  a  valuable  accession  to  the  strength  and  in- 
fluence of  the  rising  conference.  That  young 
man  was  Michael  Long,  to  whose  life  and  career 
as  missionary,  pastor,  and  religious  leader  this 
chapter  is  devoted. 

Mr.  Jacob  Burgner,  an  elderly  and  honored 
citizen  of  Fremont,  Ohio,  and  who  was  for  many 
years  a  personal  friend  of  Mr.  Long,  pays  the 
following  splendid  tribute  to  his  work  and  in- 
fluence as  it  was  related  to  the  moral  and  relig- 
ious development  of  the  territory  ^vdth  which  he 
was  identified :  "Any  pioneer  record  of  the 
'Black  Swamp,'  in  Northwestern  Ohio,  which 
does  not  give  an  account  of  the  old-time  traveling 
preachers,  or  circuit  riders,  who  did  so  much  to 
cheer  the  liomes  of  the  early  settlers,  must  be 
incomplete;  and  any  list  of  such  itinerants  which 
does  not  include  the  familiar  name  of  the  Rev. 
Michael  Long  is  untrue  to  history.  For  more 
than  fifty  years  he  traversed  this  region  in  every 
direction,  and  thousands  loved  to  listen  to  the 
voice  of  his  unstudied  eloquence  and  soul-stirring 
revival  songs.  Entire  communities  were  trans- 
formed by  his  noble  Christian  influence  and  the 
marvelous  power  of  his  ministry," 

169 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Sandusky  Conference  has  produced  great 
evangelists,  like  Stephen  Lillybridge,  of  its 
earlier  history,  George  and  Eeuben  French,  of 
later  years,  and  J.  W.  Hicks,  of  the  present  time. 
But  Michael  Long  has  the  distinction  of  having 
received  more  people  into  the  Church  than  any 
other  minister  ever  connected  with  the  Sandusky 
Conference  up  until  the  time  of  his  death.  His 
great  meetings,  in  which  hundreds  were  led  to 
Christ,  are  yet  a  subject  of  many  fireside  conver- 
sations among  the  older  people  of  that  section  of 
country.  Very  much  of  his  time  as  a  missionary 
was  devoted  to  evangelistic  work,  to  which  he 
was  naturally  well  adapted  and  in  which  he  was 
eminently  successful.  He  saw  his  conference 
grow  from  its  first  little  organization  to  one  of 
the  largest  numerically  of  the  denomination. 

Mr,  Long  was  born  on  the  third  day  of  May, 
1814,  in  Guernsey  County,  Ohio.  His  parents, 
Daniel  and  Margaret  Long,  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Perhaps  about  the  year  1810  they 
immigrated  to  Ohio,  where  they  took  possession 
of  a  section  of  land  upon  which  they  built  a  home 
and  dedicated  it  to  God.  In  this  humble  wilder- 
ness home  the  son  acquired  habits  of  industry 
and  economy  as  well  as  a  vigorous  constitution. 
He  had  the  advantage  of  a  few  terms  of  school, 
most  probably  a  subscription  school  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. Between  these  terms  and  subsequently 
he  worked  on  the  farm  until  he  entered  the  min- 
istry. He  was  endowed  with  remarkable  physical 
powers,  which  enabled  him  to  endure  the  priva- 

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United  Brethrcfi  Home  Missionaries 

tions  incident  to  his  life-work  with  little  appar- 
ent difficulty. 

At  a  very  early  age  young  Long  was  converted 
and  joined  the  United  Brethren  Church.  When 
about  twenty  years  of  age  he  gave  evidence  of 
having  received  a,  call  to  the  ministry,  and  in 
1836,  a  year  later,  as  previously  stated,  he  was 
given  license  to  preach  the  gospel,  at  which  time 
his  active  itinerant  life  began.  His  first  circuit 
included  twenty-eight  appointments,  at  each  of 
which  he  preached  regularly  once  every  four 
weeks,  in  private  homes,  barns,  school-houses  or 
groves,  requiring  for  each  round  a  travel  of  about 
four  hundred  miles.  For  his  services  the  first 
year  he  received  a  salary  of  forty  dollars.  The 
circuits  he  served  for  a  number  of  subsequent 
years  were  as  large,  and  sometimes  more  exten- 
sive than  the  first,  when  his  salary  ranged  from 
one  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  seventy-five  dol- 
lars a  year.  For  his  unselfish  devotion  to  his 
work,  and  his  intense  perseverance,  which  feared 
no  sacrifice  or  hardship,  in  seeking  lost  souls, 
this  "cavalry  captain"  deserves  a  place  in  the 
first  rank  of  the  heroes  of  the  cross  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church. 

The  active,  itinerant  life  of  Michael  Long  cov- 
ered an  unbroken  period  of  more  than  a  half 
century.  It  is  claimed  that  he  was  directly  in- 
strumental in  the  conversion  of  above  five  thou- 
sand souls,  most  of  whom  were  added  to  the 
Church.  It  may  fairly  be  questioned  whether 
any  one  minister  in  the  history  of  the  deuomina- 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

tion,  Newcomer  excepted,  has  made  a  greater 
record  as  a  soul-wiuner.  His  loyalty  to  the 
Church  was  very  manifest  in  his  work.  He  em- 
bodied, as  did  few  men  of  his  times,  the  elements 
of  evangelist  and  organizer.  The  fruits  of  his 
great  evangelistic  campaigns  were  largely  con- 
served to  the  denomination.  This  was  the  ex- 
ception in  those  earlier  days,  when  United 
Brethren  itinerants  were  so  absorbed  in  the 
work  of  evangelism  as  to  leave  to  other  denomin- 
ations the  pleasant,  though  important  work  of 
organizing  and  training  the  new  converts  for 
Christian  service. 

The  Eev.  William  IMathers,  conference  histor- 
ian, pays  his  friend  of  many  years  the  following 
tribute:  "Michael  Long  served  more  time, 
traveled  greater  distances,  and  suffered  more 
privations  than  any  other  member  of  the  con- 
ference, living  or  dead."  It  is  apparent  that  the 
conference  has  produced  no  man  whose  influence 
for  good  has  been  greater,  and  no  man  whose  his- 
tory has  had  in  it  more  features  of  romantic  in- 
terest. His  unwritten  stories  of  daring  adven- 
tures and  hair-breadth  escapes  in  those  early  days 
would  fill  a  volume.  The  following  items  are 
copied  from  an  address  delivered  at  a  ministerial 
institute  at  Attica,  Seneca  County,  Ohio,  by  this 
veteran  servant  of  God  in  1879,  twelve  years  be- 
fore his  death : 

"I  well  remember  when  I  started  on  my  first 
circuit,  which  was  four  hundred  miles  around, 
pumbering  twenty-eight  appointments,     Jt  took 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

me  four  weeks  tO'  get  around  the  circuit;  there 
was  not,  to  my  recollection,  one  meeting-house 
in  the  entire  conference.  We  preached,  as  a  gen- 
eral thing,  in  private  houses  and  in  the  groves. 
The  outline  of  my  work  was  something  after  the 
following:  Northeast,  three  miles  below  Port 
Clinton,  on  the  lake;  southeast,  near  Bucyrus; 
southwest,  on  the  Auglaize,  twelve  miles  below 
Findlay.  The  points  alluded  to  were  the  out- 
posts of  my  field  of  labor.  My  salary  the  first 
year  was  forty  dollars.  The  second  year  I  was 
appointed  to  Findlay  Mission,  where  there  were 
two  preaching  places  to  start  with;  the  number 
was  soon  increased  to  twelve.  It  was  a  year  of 
great  success.  One  hundred  and  sixty  members 
were  added  to  the  Church,  and  the  revival  spirit 
continued  the  entire  year. 

"I  remember  of  forming  what  we  then  called 
Huron  Mission.  It  was  an  entirely  new  field. 
The  conference  circulated  a  subscription  for  me, 
which  amounted  to  about  thirty  dollars.  With 
that  encouragement  I  started,  having  no  assur- 
ance of  any  other  support,  but  still  I  had  a  good 
time;  the  grace  of  God  sustained  me,  and  I  had 
plenty  to-  eat,  such  as  it  was.  I  remember 
crossing  what  was  then  called  the  swamp 
bridge,  in  Seneca  County,  not  far  from  where  we 
are  now  assembled.  The  people  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river  came  over  to  the  services.  There 
were  about  seventy  persons  on  the  bridge  at  one 
time.  It  was  built  with  great  logs — they  were  all 
floating  and  would  not  lie  still,  and  some  of  the 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

people  got  wet,  but  on  they  went.  They  reached 
the  place  of  worship  and  we  had  a  good  time, 
as  some  of  you,  no  doubt,  remember  well.  I  am 
not  a  little  happy  to  look  on  some  of  those  faces 
in  this  convention.  Little  did  I  think  that  I 
would  live  to  see  a  ministerial  association  held 
on  my  missionary  ground. 

"I  well  remember,  when  traveling  in  the 
Maumee  country,  of  passing  trains  of  Indians 
nearly  one-half  mile  long.  I  recollect  of  preach- 
ing on  the  east  side  of  the  Maumee  River,  and 
then  would  ford  the  river  and  preach  on  the  west 
side;  and  when  I  crossed  tlie  river,  I  would  take 
corn  in  my  saddle-bags  to  feed  my  horse.  The 
people  of  the  community  that  year  were  having 
a  struggle  to  live.  The  plain  food  we  had  to  eat 
tasted  good  sO'  long  as  it  lasted.  We  were  thank- 
ful those  days  if  we  had  a^  little  corn  bread  and 
a  little  venison.  There  was  a  difference  between 
those  days  and  the  present.  O  Lord !  bring  back 
some  of  the  old  kindred  feelings  that  used  to 
characterize  the  Church. 

"In  those  days  there  were  but  few  bridges 
across  the  rivers  in  this  country.  When  on  my 
first  mission  in  Hancock  County,  I  had  to  cross 
the  Auglaize  River  some  nine  times ;  my  mission 
was  so  assigned  that  I  could  not  do  otherwise. 
I  often  would  swim  my  horse  across  the  river.  I 
remember  one  occasion  when  I  attempted  to 
cross  on  the  ice  to  go  to  my  quarterly  meeting. 
Rev.  O.  Crom  was  my  presiding  elder.  It  was  in 
the  early  spring  when  the  ice  was  very  rotten. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

The  elder's  horse  being  the  smaller,  we  agreed 
that  he  should  cross  first.  He  succeeded  in 
getting  across  in  safety.  I  then  took  off  my 
saddle  and  saddle-bags,  took  my  horse  by  the 
bridle  and  started,  and  when  I  got  near  the 
middle  of  the  river,  the  ice  broke,  and  my  horse 
went  under,  all  but  his  head.  I  kept  in  advance 
of  the  horse;  the  bridle  pulled  off,  and  when  I 
caught  hold  of  the  halter,  he  made  a  number  of 
springs,  and  finally  succeeded  in  getting  near  the 
shore,  where  the  ice  bore  him  up.  I  then  led  him 
to  the  shore,  put  my  saddle  on  him,  and  we 
hastened  to  the  meeting,  which  was  about  two 
miles  distant. 

"When  traveling  a  circuit  in  Wood  County  at 
one  time,  I  came  to  the  Portage  River,  which  was 
overflowing  its  banks,  a  distance  of  about  forty 
rods.  Part  of  the  bridge  had  been  swept  away. 
The  middle  bent  and  the  one  that  extended  to 
the  shore  on  the  east  side  were  all  that  were  left. 
Heavy  timbers  laid  on  the  bridge  held  those  two 
bents  and  stringers  together.  I  first  got  on  the 
bridge  and  tried  its  strength.  I  then  led  my  horse 
on  the  first  part;  then  he  had  to  jump  down 
about  two  feet  on  the  middle  part  of  the  bridge. 
I  then  led  him  to  the  end  of  that  section,  then 
made  him  jump  into  the  water.  It  was  about 
mid-sides  to  my  horse.  Then  he  was  so  far  from 
me  that  I  jumped  into  the  water  and  waded  a 
few  rods.  I  saw  a  stump  extending  above  the 
water,  from  which  I  mounted  my  horse,  and  we 

175 


Our  Heroes,  or 

rode  twenty  or  thirty  rods,  from  whicli  point  he 
swam  the  rest  of  the  way  to  the  shore. 

"I  recall  vividly  another  circumstance  when 
going  from  Elmore  to  the  lake.  The  first  four 
miles  brought  me  to  Touissaint  Creek.  It  being 
high,  I  swam  my  horse  across.  I  then  had  eight 
or  ten  miles,  through  very  dense  woods,  to  the 
lake.  When  I  came  to  the  prairie  I  got  in  a 
French  settlement.  It  was  so  fenced  up  that 
there  was  no  way  of  getting  through  the  field  or 
through  Turtle  Marsh.  I  called  at  a  house.  A 
French  woman  came  out  and  muttered  her 
French  and  motioned  across  the  marsh.  I  started 
across,  but  had  not  gone  more  than  one  rod  when 
my  horse  fell  over  some  timbers  of  some  kind.  I 
fell  off  my  horse  into  the  marsh,  held  on  to  the 
bridle,  and  got  out  on  the  same  side.  I  think  it 
was  little  different  from  the  slough  of  despond 
that  Bunyan  speaks  of ;  I  know  the  Lord  did  not 
want  me  to  go  through  Turtle  IMarsh.  A  boy 
who  seemed  to  sympathize  with  me  in  my  distress^ 
came  to  my  assistance,  for  which  I  thanked  him, 
talked  to  him  about  his  soul's  salvation,  and 
offered  a  prayer  for  him.  I  told  him  I  wanted  to 
go  through  the  field.  He  opened  the  fence  and 
let  me  through,  giving  me  proper  directions.  The 
Lord  had  delivered  me  from  Turtle  Marsh. 

"Let  me  state  one  more  recollection.  Well  do 
I  remember  crossing  what  was  then  known  as 
the  Lance  Bridge,  a  little  west  of  Carey.  INIy 
appointment  was  at  Father  Shoup's.  The  bridge 
crossing  the  prairie  was  one  mile  long  and  there 

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MICHAEL    LONG 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

bad  been  heavy  rains,  and  on  the  south  end  a 
freshet  had  taken  away  about  two  rods  of  the 
bridge.  The  rails  had  been  placed  close  together 
on  the  sod.  At  this  time  loose  rails  had  been 
placed,  about  fifteen  or  twenty  inches  apart,  for 
people  to  walk  over.  It  looked  rather  danger- 
ous; there  was  no  water  there,  yet  I  knew  not 
what  a  dangerous  place  it  was.  I  took  off  my 
saddle  and  knelt  down  and  implored  God  to  help 
me,  as  on  other  occasions.  I  took  my  horse  by 
the  bridle,  intending  to  lead  him  by  the  side  of 
the  loose  rails,  and,  as  I  started,  he  at  once 
sprang  upon  the  rails  and  followed  me  over.  I 
then  fell  upon  my  knees  again  and  returned 
grateful  thanks  tO'  my  Lord  for  his  help.  I  then 
walked  back  and  got  my  saddle,  placed  it  upon 
my  horse,  and  hurried  to  my  appointment.  The 
people  asked  me  which  way  I  came.  I  told  them. 
They  were  alarmed  when  I  told  them  how  I 
crossed  the  prairie,  knowing  that  part  of  the 
bridge  was  gone,  and  that  the  scattering  loose 
rails  were  for  people  to  walk  over.  A  pole  could 
be  run  do^ni  twenty  feet  anywhere  near  that 
place,  so  I  was  convinced  that  the  Lord  had 
safely  led  me  through. 

"Now,  my  dear  brethren,  I  have  related  a  few 
of  the  experiences  of  my  early  itinerant  life. 
Those  were  days  of  struggle  and  hardship,  but  of 
great  blessing.  The^^  were  days  of  love  to  God 
and  love  toward  each  other;  no  sparring,  no  try- 
ing to  excel ;  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation 
of  souls  was  the  supreme  thing." 

177 


Oar  Heroes,  or 

Mr.  Long  was  one  of  the  few  itinerants  of  his 
day  who  gave  his  entire  time  to  the  work.  He 
traveled  long  distances  in  all  kinds  of  weather, 
and  preached,  it  is  said,  three  times  a  day  for 
thirt}^  days  in  succession,  and  each  time  with 
demonstration  of  the  Spirit.  He  was  possessed 
with  an  undeterred  and  undeterable  hunger  to 
preach  the  Word  to  sinners.  No  slippered  ease, 
no  hammock  sighing  for  a  mission,  no  resolutions 
to  be  carried  into  effect  to-morrow,  could  have 
created  the  type  of  evangelism  he  represented 
and  attain  such  results.  What  impresses  one  as 
he  reads  his  life  and  of  his  success  as  a  soul- 
winner  is  that  he  lived  for  it,  prayed  for  it,  and 
put  all  else  aside  for  it.  He  was  uniformly 
prompt  and  punctual  in  the  performance  of  all 
his  duties.  Few  can  realize  what  that  meant  in 
the  way  of  privations  and  hardships  in  that 
sparsely-settled  country,  without  bridges  and 
with  but  few  roads.  Most  of  the  time  he  traveled 
on  horseback,  but  many  long  journeys  through 
the  swamps  were  of  necessity  made  on  foot.  He 
was  present  at  every  session  of  his  conference  for 
fifty-six  successive  years,  and  it  stands  to  his 
credit  that  he  never  missed  the  opening  prayer  of 
one  of  its  sessions. 

Mr.  Long  is  described  as  possessing  a  strong 
and  impressive  physique,  weighing  above  two 
hundred  pounds.  His  manner  in  the  pulpit  was 
free  and  full  of  demonstration.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  remove  his  coat  without  apology,  if 
it  became  uncomfortable,  and  go  on  with  his  dis- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

course  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  occurred.  He 
was  a  great  preacher,  if  greatness  is  measured  by 
results,  and  this  must  always  be  the  final  test  of 
sermons:  Do  they  accomplish  their  purpose? 
Some  one  remarked  to  Sir  William  Hamilton 
that  Guthrie's  preaching  was  defective  in  logical 
quality,  and  he  answered,  "It  is  the  very  best 
sort  of  logic;  there  is  but  a  step  between  the 
premise  and  the  conclusion."  Mr.  Long  as  a 
preacher  was  a  kind  of  Nasmyth  hammer  that, 
with  a  few  mighty  strokes,  could  weld  into  shape 
a  ponderous,  molten  mass.  His  preaching  may 
have  been  defective  in  logical  quality,  but  it  had 
that  quality  that  broke  down  stubborn  wills, 
melted  the  hardest  hearts,  and  caused  multitudes 
to  repent  of  their  sins  and  to  accept  Christ  as 
Lord  and  Savior. 

Mr.  Long  was  endowed  with  a  powerful  voice, 
which  disting-uished  him  as  the  "great  camp- 
meeting  preacher."  The  following  story  is  told 
by  a  gentleman  residing  not  far  from  one  of  the 
old  camp-grounds  in  Sandusky  County:  "A 
stranger  called  at  my  home  one  day  about  eleven 
o'clock  to  inquire  the  way  to  the  camp-meeting, 
which  was  then  in  progress.  I  told  him  to  listen, 
and,  on  being  silent  for  a  moment,  the  voice  of 
Michael  Long,  in  the  full  exercise  of  its  powers, 
came  wafted  upon  the  breezes.  I  told  the 
stranger  to  follow  the  sound  through  the  woods, 
and  he  would  find  the  camp-meeting  about  three 
miles  distant  in  that  direction." 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

The  old-fashioned  camp-meetings  were  occa- 
sions which  throbbed  with  spiritual  power.  Here 
Mr.  Long  was  always  at  his  best.  One  of  these 
occasions  is  thus  described:  "Wonderful  dem- 
onstrations of  God's  power  were  manifest  under 
the  preaching  of  Mr.  Long.  Many  fell  to  the 
earth  and  lay  for  hours  as  if  dead,  and  when 
raised  from  that  state,  they  generally  shouted, 
'Glory !'  Surely  God  was  there  to  kill  and  make 
alive."  One  instance  was  very  similar  to  the  one 
recorded  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  Mark.  Another 
conversion  at  this  meeting  was  similar  to  that 
of  Saul  of  Tarsus.  Through  the  persuasion  of 
the  man's  daughter,  he  went  with  her  to  the  meet- 
ing, where  he  became  so  powerfully  convicted 
that,  on  his  way  home,  he  fell  from  his  horse  to 
the  ground,  where  he  lay  for  some  time.  When 
he  rose  his  daughter  was  on  her  knees  by  his  side, 
praying  for  him,  and  holding  both  their  horses. 
He  was  converted  and  became  one  of  the  most 
devout  and  influential  Christian  men  of  that 
community. 

Mr.  Long  was  also  a  great  singer.  While  his 
voice  was  mighty,  it  was  full  of  melody.  Some 
one  has  said  that  under  the  blessing  of  God  in 
the  gospel  of  song,  as  many  people  were  won  to 
Christ  as  were  won  by  his  sermons.  By  his  songs, 
as  well  as  by  his  sermons,  he  moved,  melted,  and 
mastered  men. 

In  May,  1864,  he  visited  a  military  post  at 
Fort  Ethan  Allan,  Virginia.  He  had  learned 
that  there  was  much  sickness  among    the    One 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Hundred  and  Sixty-Ninth  Regiment.  O.  V.  I., 
at  that  place,  which  was  composed  of  men  from 
Sandusky  and  Wayne  counties,  Ohio.  He  took 
with  him,  at  a  considerable  expense  and  risk,  a 
large  trunk  full  of  choice  eatables,  sent  by  wives, 
mothers,  and  sweethearts  to  the  boys.  The  regi- 
ment had  no  official  chaplain.  The  Sandusky 
County  boys  had  urgently  requested  Mr.  Long  as 
their  chaplain,  and  the  Wayne  County  boys  had 
asked  for  Rev.  B.  F.  Baltzly,  when  Col.  N.  E. 
Haynes,  who  had  the  matter  in  charge,  in  order 
that  he  might  not  give  offense  to  either  party, 
decided  to  dispense  with  the  chaplaincy.  Each 
of  the  candidates  held  religious  services  gratu- 
itously, as  he  had  opportunity.  On  Sunday,  the 
nineteenth  of  June,  by  special  request,  Mr.  Long 
conducted  services  and  preached  a  remarkable 
sermon.  He  stood  in  the  shade  of  a  large  cherry 
tree  in  front  of  the  captain's  office.  The  subject 
of  his  discourse  was,  "The  Prayer  of  Jabez,"  re- 
corded in  I.  Chronicles  4 :  10.  The  sermon  was 
printed  in  full.  It  seems  now  to  have  been  almost 
prophetic,  and  to  have  been  answered  in  a  very 
remarkable  manner  in  the  restoration  of  the 
Union,  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  country, 
and  the  enlargement  of  the  territoiy  of  the 
United  States  westward.  "While  in  the  midst 
of  his  sermon,  he  was  interrupted  a  few  minutes 
while  a  funeral  procession,  with  muffled  drum, 
passed  by  to  the  burial  of  a  soldier,  who  had  died 
of  homesickness." 

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Our  Heroes  J  or 

When  presiding  elder  of  a  district,  he  gladly 
went  where  his  preachers  had  to  go ;  he  met  with- 
out a  murmur  their  hardships,  experienced  their 
privations  and  persecutions,  and  lived  their 
simple  life.  This  is  the  kind  of  leaders  the  early 
itinerant  needed  to  nerve  him  for  the  warfare. 
Napoleon,  lying  down  at  night,  on  the  hard 
ground  between  two  common  soldiers,  sharing 
with  them  their  crust,  and  talking  to  them  like  a 
brother  about  the  hardships  of  the  campaign,  by 
that  act  did  the  kind  of  thing  which  incarnated 
him  as  the  idol  of  his  army.  Mr.  Long  was  a  man 
of  vision  and  kept  in  line  with  the  progress  of  his 
times.  While  he  had  not  the  advantage  of  the 
education  of  the  schools,  he  was  a  friend  and  ad- 
vocate of  higher  education,  and  encouraged  it  not 
only  publicly,  but  also  in  his  own  family.  The 
fruits  of  this  course  were  manifest  later  in  the 
literary  attainments  and  honorable  standing  of 
his  three  sons  in  the  active  ministry.  He  was  a 
loyal  supporter  of  every  department  of  the  work 
of  his  denomination. 

His  home  life  Avas  beautiful.  The  devoted 
partner  in  the  toils  and  sacrifices  of  his  long 
itinerant  life  w^as  formerl^^  Miss  Sarah  Gear. 
They  were  united  in  marriage  April  20,  1837,  in 
Sandusky  County.  To'  them  were  given  five 
children,  all  of  whom  were  followers  of  the 
Christ  whom  their  honored  father  preached  so 
faithfully. 

Mr.  Long  possessed  an  attractive  personality. 
He  was  a  man  of  cordial  spirit,  sunny  disposi- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

tion,  and  a  merry  humor,  always  companionable 
and  cheery  in  the  circle  of  his  friends,  and,  to  an 
unusual  degree,  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  he  called 
the  attention  of  a  chance  traveling  companion,  a 
lawyer,  to  the  beautiful  country  through  which 
they  were  passing,  and  remarked,  "My  Father 
owns  all  this  entire  country."  Until  the  gentle- 
man caught  his  meaning  from  the  twinkle  in  his 
eye,  he  was  astonished  at  the  immense  wealth  of 
the  father  and  the  rich  heritage  of  the  son. 
Great  churchmen  have  pronounced  the  dogma  of 
apostolic  succession  to  be  a  fact  no  man  can 
prove.  There  is,  however,  such  a  thing  as  having 
the  spirit  of  the  apostles,  and  in  that  sense  being 
in  the  line  of  a  spiritual  succession,  which  is  the 
best  form  of  apostolic  succession.  In  that  line  of 
succession  was  the  Eev.  Michael  Long. 

On  November  17,  1891,  having  reached  the  age 
of  seventy-seven  years,  this  faithful  servant  of 
God,  who  had  won  his  right  to  a  place  in  the 
record  of  the  heroes  of  faith,  entered  unto  his 
heavenly  rest.  His  body  awaits  the  resurrection 
of  the  just,  in  a  beautiful  little  cemetery  near 
Fremont,  Ohio. 

Father  Long  and  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  were 
not  only  neighbors  and  acquaintances,  but  close 
personal  friends  for  many  years.  Tlie  ex-presi- 
dent was  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  when  he  saw  in  a 
daily  paper  of  that  city  an  account  of  Mr,  Long's 
death.  He  was  noticeably  affected,  and  with  a 
voice  expressive  of  deep  feeling,  remarked  to  the 

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Our  Eei'oes,  or 

company  about  him:  "Gentlemen,  in  the  his- 
tory of  northwestern  Ohio  the  name  of  the  Rev. 
Michael  Long  can  never  be  disassociated  from 
the  very  highest  rank  of  moral  and  religious 
leadership.  Nothing  my  friends  might  say  of  me 
when  I  am  gone  will  be  more  truthful  and  honor- 
able than  what  I  can  say  of  my  friend  Long — he 
was  a  devoted  and  successful  minister  of  the 
gospel." 


184 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WILLIAM  CADMAN. 

Erie  Conference" s  Pioneer  He^'ald. 

When  death  comes,  Avhat  nobler  epitaph  can 
be  placed  over  any  man's  tomb  than  this: 
"Having  served  his  day  and  generation  by  the 
will  of  God,  he  fell  asleep."  No  words  that  we 
may  utter  can  help  the  departed.  No  voice  of 
praise  can  delight  the  ear;  nor  can  the  violence 
of  censure  vex  it.  No  amount  of  flowers  strewn 
upon  the  grave  can  delight  the  pulseless  heart, 
nor  add  to  the  spirit's  joys.  But  for  the  sake  of 
others  we  may,  and  should,  speak  well  of  the 
faithful  dead.  The  noble  lives  which  once  made 
the  world  better,  will  continue  to  enrich  it  for- 
ever, if,  through  liistory,  they  are  kept  before  the 
oncoming  generations,  and  thus  made  ensamples 
of  piety,  courage  and  devotion. 

William  Cadman  was  born  of  godly  parents 
at  French  Creek,  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania, 
June  5,  1828.  His  early  life  was  especially  in- 
fluenced by  the  pious  example  and  instructiou 
of  a  devout  mother.  Though  he  did  not  become 
active  in  Christian  service  until  he  had  grown 
to  manhood,  yet  there  was  never  a  day,  perhaps, 
when  he  did  not  feel  the  touch  of  parental  love, 
and  experience  a  desire  to  be  and  do  something 
worthy  a  true  man. 

185 


Our  Heroes,  or 

In  1840  the  family,  eleven  in  number,  having 
caught  the  spirit  of  emigration,  moved  to  Iowa, 
which  was  then  considered  the  far  West.  Mus- 
catine County  was  their  destination,  the  long 
distance  having  been  made  in  the  ''prairie 
schooner."  Here,  for  a  few  years,  William  as- 
sisted in  making  the  new  home,  and  thus  shared 
the  hardships  and  privations  of  a  frontier  life. 

When  the  Mexican  War  broke  out,  his  patriot- 
ism asserted  itself  and  he  joined  the  army  of  his 
country,  serving  until  peace  w^as  negotiated.  Dur- 
ing this  period  of  absence  from  home,  when  he 
must  have  felt  most  keenly  the  loss  of  a  mother's 
counsel  and  tender  watch-care,  an  incident  oc- 
curred which  greatly  strengthened  his  faith  in 
his  mother's  God.  Being  very  ill  one  day,  he 
crawled  under  a  little  tree  to  die,  as  he  feared, 
but  remembering  that  upon  leaving  home  his 
mother  had  given  him  a  Testament,  he  took  it 
from  his  pocket  and  began  to  peruse  its  pages, 
and  to  search  out  its  promises.  With  the  reading 
of  the  Word,  new  strength  and  hope  were  in- 
spired, and  the  battle  against  the  threatening 
malady  Avas  renewed  and  kept  up  until  health 
was  finally  regained.  This  providential  occur- 
rence, as  he  interpreted  it  to  be,  was  never  for- 
gotten by  him,  and  its  lesson  of  trust  made  it  one 
of  the  brightest  spots  in  all  his  experience.  At 
the  close  of  his  army  life  he  came  back  home, 
and  shortly  afterwards  located  in  Ohio.  About 
this  time  he  renewed  his  Christian  covenant,  and 
soon  felt  God's  call  to  the   ministry.     At   first, 

186 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

like  a  multitude  of  others,  he  resisted  the  Spirit, 
but  eventually  yielded,  and  made  a  surrender 
which  was  complete  and  final. 

In  1850  he  was  licensed  to  exhort  by  Solomon 
Weaver,  then  a  i3residing  elder  in  Ohio.  His 
annual  conference  credentials  were  signed  by 
Bishop  David  Edwards,  bearing  date  of  October 
17,  1851,  while  Bishop  J.  J.  Glosbrenner  or- 
dained him  at  a  session  of  the  Muskingum  Con- 
ference, held  in  October,  1853,  the  place  being 
Newman's  Creek  chapel. 

October  7,  1852,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Par- 
melia  A.  Houck,  of  Berlin,  Ohio,  who  proved  a 
heroine  in  all  the  qualities  which  were  needful 
in  a  minister's  wife  in  those  far  away  days. 

The  original  Erie  Conference  Avas  organized  in 
May  of  1853.  The  following  October,  soon  after 
his  ordination,  Mr.  Cadman  was  sent  to  New 
York  Mission,  which  included  all  the  territory 
now  embraced  in  Bear  Lake,  Chautauqua,  Pine 
Grove,  and  Chandler's  Valley  circuits.  In  all 
this  vast  area  there  were  only  a  few  United 
Brethren.  Ho  was  not  sent  out  to  occupy  a  par- 
sonage already  built,  or  to  enjoy  a  nest  already 
feathered  by  some  one  else,  but  rather  to  hew  out 
a  field  for  the  Church,  and  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  a  new  district. 

Here,  it  would  seem,  he  remained  three  years. 
And  that  he  did  his  work  nobly  may  be  seen  in 
the  fact  that  he  created  a  nucleus  around  which 
Erie  Conference  has  been  built.  Following  this 
period  of  successful  missionary  work,  he  was  as- 

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Our  Heroes  J  or 

signed  to  Findlay  Lake  charge,  and  then  to 
Pleasantville.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the 
minutes  which  give  a  consecutive  and  detailed 
account  of  his  work  from  1853  to  1861  cannot  be 
found.  Later  we  shall  see  w^hat  his  co-laborers 
have  to  say  respecting  his  standing  in  the  Church, 
and  his  achievements  as  a  pioneer. 

Shortly  after  he  was  married  he  bought  a  little 
home  in  what  was  known  as  the  Stillson  neigh- 
borhood, in  Warren  County,  Pennsylvania,  from 
which  he  never  moved.  Here  his  good  wife  re- 
mained through  the  long  years  that  followed,  and 
here  his  nine  children  were  born  and  reared. 

Being  permanently  located,  however,  made  his 
work  more  taxing,  as  it  necessitated  longer 
journeys  and  more  extended  periods  of  absence 
from  home.  Those  were  days  which  tried  the 
soul.  When  we  recall  that  the  average  salary 
was  only  |103.78,  we  get  a  glimpse  of  what  "cir- 
cuit riding"  meant,  and  what  it  cost  the  pioneers 
to  plant  the  Church  in  a  country  so  immature. 

On  one  occasion  when  Mr.  Cadman  returned 
home  after  a  long  absence,  he  sat  down  at  the 
table  with  nothing  but  "johnny  cake"  before  him. 
When  he  saw  the  scant  meal,  he  remarked  that  it 
seemed  like  a  small  dinner  for  a  hungry  man. 
Though  his  words  were  spoken  in  rather  a  jocular 
way,  they  deeply  pained  his  wife's  heart.  Glan- 
cing at  her  he  saw  the  tears  starting  and  was 
told,  "It  is  all  we  have."  The  scene  so  touched 
him  that  he  could  not  eat.  "It  's  all  we  have,'- 
kept  ringing  in  his  ears.     The  tears    he    knew 

188 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

meant  much  more  than  had  been  expressed  in 
her  words,  and  so,  without  touching  the  simple 
cal?;e,  he  arose,  went  to  the  stable,  harnessed  his 
horse,  drove  to  a  neighbor,  borrowed  some  money, 
and  laid  in  a  supply  of  groceries.  Three  times, 
he  tells  us,  he  borrowed  this  sum  before  he  was 
able  to  pay  it  himself.  Still  he  kept  on  preach- 
ing, God  had  given  him  a  message  and  he  must 
deliver  it.  Winning  men  was  of  first  and 
supreme  importance.  To  this  end  he  climbed 
over  hills,  waded  through  snowdrifts,  and 
braved  the  pelting  storm.  Sometimes  his  feet, 
hands,  and  ears  were  frosted,  but  personal  com- 
forts were  gladly  surrendered  for  the  sake  of  his 
conference  and  his  Church.  Like  Marcus  Whit- 
man he  could  sing: 

"I  must  go  on,  I  must  go  on, 
Whatever  lot  may  fall  to  me ; 
On !  't  is  for  others'  sake  I  ride, 
For  others  I  may  never  see." 

Kev.  L.  L.  Hager,  the  poet-preacher  of  the  con- 
ference, now  living  at  Findlay  Lake,  New  York, 
traveled  the  New  York  Mission  with  him  as  a 
junior  in  1856-57,  and  speaks  in  highest  terms 
of  his  character,  ability  and  achievements.  "In 
his  early  days,"  he  says,  "he  was  a  very  'son  of 
thunder,'  being  physically  strong  and  magnetic. 
He  possessed  the  voice  and  bearing  of  one  born 
to  command,  and  the  people  felt  they  must  obey. 
At  times  he  was  extravagant  in  his  hyperbole, 

189 


Our  Heroes,  or 

but  never  failed  to  charm  and  interest  his  hear- 
ers. At  the  many  camp-meetings  he  attended, 
he  was  always  the  leading  spirit,  and  the  at- 
tendants never  wanted  to  miss  the  services  con- 
ducted by  him. 

His  Avas  the  old-fashioned  gospel — a  gospel 
that  shakes  and  wakes — one  that  has  in  it 
thunder  and  lightning,  as  well  as  dew  and  rain. 
And  with  this  gospel  he  attracted  the  multitudes 
as  certainly  and  unerringly  as  the  magnet 
gathers  to  itself  the  filings  of  steel. 

When  the  conference  was  divided,  he  cast  his 
lot  with  the  eastern  portion,  which  retained  the 
original  name.  Among  his  early  associates  were 
L.  L.  Hager,  W.  Rittenhouse,  Isaac  Bennehoif, 
J.  Hill,  and  N.  Shelmadine. 

From  his  entrance  upon  the  Avork  of  the  min- 
istry, he  was  a  leading  spirit  in  the  councils 
and  aggressive  policies  of  his  conference, 
and  constantly  grew  in  the  favor  and 
confidence  of  his  brethren.  For  ten  years  he 
served  as  presiding  elder,  and  as  such  won  his 
way  to  fame.  His  pulpit  strength  and  marked 
executive  ability  gave  him  first  rank  in  public 
estimation.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General 
conferences  held  at  Western,  Iowa,  and  Leb- 
anon, Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Cadman's  early  school  advantages  were 
limited,  yet  he  knew  the  value  of  study  and  the 
importance  of  preparation.  His  memory  was 
wonderfully  retentive,  and  his  faculty  of  dis- 
crimination strong  and    searching.      These  ele- 

190 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

ments  of  strength,  togetlier  with  a  victorious 
faith,  and  unswerving  fidelity  to  the  truth,  made 
him  a  master  in  the  pulpit.  The  older  members 
of  the  conference  who'  heard  him  often  readily 
admit  that  no  man  among  them  ever  drew  the 
crowds  that  he  did.  Rev.  I.  Bennehoff  writes: 
''His  warm,  genial  nature  made  him  a  gTeat  fav- 
orite Avith  the  young  people,  and  his  knowledge 
of  men  enabled  him,  when  presiding  elder,  to 
successfully  supply  his  fields  with  pastors." 

That  he  was  highly  regarded  by  other 
churches  may  be  inferred  from  what  Bishop 
Sanford,  of  the  United  Evangelical  Church,  said 
at  the  Topeka  General  Conference,  in  1905; 
"Among  your  ministry  in  northern  Pennsyl- 
vania," he  remarked,  "you  used  to  have  a.  large, 
portly,  whole-souled,  loud-voiced,  and  out- 
spoken presiding  elder  by  the  name  of  William 
Cadman.  Is  he  living?  No.  In  my  boyhood 
days  I  frequently  walked  from  three  to  five 
miles  to  hear  him  preach.  He  made  an  indel- 
lible  impression  on  my  youthful  mind  for  good. 
I  shall  never  forget  him.  He  preached  as  though 
he  actually  believed  all  he  said.  The  warmth 
and  sweetness  of  his  pent-up  soul  seemed  to  drip 
like  nectar  from  his  lips.  His  very  earnestness 
alone  seemed  like  a  drawing  power  that  was 
almost  irresistible.  One  of  his  choice  themes 
was  'the  fatherhood  of  God,'  and  the  'universal 
brotherhood  of  man.'  He  really  seemed  to  weave 
a  thread  of  this  sentiment    into    nearly    every 

191 


Our  Heroes,  or 

sermon  he  preached.  This  is  how  he  made  me 
believe  that  I  was  his  brother.    I  believe  it  still." 

Kev.  R.  J.  White,  D.D.,  now  presiding  elder 
of  the  conference,  knew  him  Avell  and  esteemed 
him  highly  for  his  work's  sake.  He  says:  "He 
was  a  very  gifted  man.  His  voice  was  one  of 
rare  power  and  sweetness.  His  enthusiasm  and 
courage  were  contagious,  so  the  people  flocked 
to  hear  him.  There  never  was  a  man  in  Erie 
Conference  who  attracted  such  large  audiences. 
One  always  wanted  to  know  what  he  was  going 
to  say  next.  His  faith  was  simple  and  strong. 
There  was  an  extravagance  about  his  speech  and 
illustrations  that  amused  and  impressed  his 
hearers.  Once  after  he  had  retired  he  was  heard 
to  complain  that  his  brethren  had  forgotten  him. 
But,  stopping  suddenly,  he  thoughtfully  re- 
marked, 'This  is  no  way  for  a  Christian  to  talk.' 
Then  his  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  added,  'I 
want  to  be  a  Christian  and  get  to  heaven.'  " 

There  was  no  such  thing  as  luck  in  his  great- 
ness. He  was  Ood's  man,  and  arose,  it  may  be 
truthfully  said,  by  the  upward  gravitation  of 
natural  fitness. 

While  he  was  a  man  of  great  native  intellect, 
his  heart-qualities  were  strong,  and  tuned  to 
the  highest,  noblest  aims  of  a  true  minister. 
Bishop  Joyce,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  once  said,  "More  preachers  fail  from 
lack  of  heart  than  from  lack  of  head."  His 
biographer,  in  commenting  on  this  remark,  sug- 
gests that  the  Church  would  do  well,  in  choosing 

192 


WILLIAM     CADMAN 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

her  leaders,  to  give  more  attention  to  that  ele- 
ment of  strength  which  is  to  be  found  in  the 
heart.  "That  intellectual  Pharisaism,"  he  de- 
clares, "which  trusts  in  itself  because  it  is  brainy, 
and  despises  other  qualities,  is  an  offence  to  both 
God  and  man." 

Mr.  Cadman's  heart  was  in  the  right  place, 
and  directed  and  vitalized  every  thought  and 
effort  of  his  whole  life. 

No  human  hand  has  ever  written,  nor  will  it 
pen,  the  full  part  rendered  by  this  hero  in  mak- 
ing Erie  Conference  the  great  force  for  right- 
eousness it  is  in  the  territory  it  occupies.  Others, 
since  his  earlier  days,  have  come  to  the  front  as 
leaders,  and  have  Avrought  nobly,  but  the 
foundation  work  was  and  is  fundamental  be- 
cause upon  it  the  vv'hole  structure  must  forever 
rest. 

How  we  tliank  God  for  the  lives  and  achieve- 
ments of  such  men,  who,  like  Moses,  "chose 
rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the  people  of  God, 
than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season." 
What  a  wealth  of  love  and  devotion  and  service 
they  bestowed  upon  the  fields  they  traveled  I 
The  very  life  of  Cadman  was  bound  up  in  his 
conference,  else  he  would  never  have  suffered 
and  sacrificed  as  he  did  to  make  sure  its  success. 
Not  many  of  the  present  members  of  the  confer- 
ence ever  saw  or  heard  this  prophet  of  the 
Church.  They  can  only  witness  the  growing  of 
the  harvest  which  has  resulted  from  the  seed- 
sowing  of  a  lialf  century  ago.     What  it  cost  to 

193 


Our  Heroes,  or 

prepare  the  soil  and  sow  the  seed,  they  can 
never  know  in  this  life.  From  his  own  lips  they 
will  hear  it  all  by  and  by.  And  may  we  not 
suggest  that  with  the  story  will  come  new  rev- 
elations of  divine  love  and  care  that  shall  swell 
into  an  anthem  of  praise  and  eternal  thanks- 
giving. 

Those  who  were  closely  associated  with  the 
great  leader  make  special  mention  of  his  benev- 
olence toward  worthy  enterprises.  He  was  par- 
ticularly in  love  with  missions,  and  made  all  his 
nine  children  members  of  the  Home,  Frontier, 
and  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  Though  four 
of  his  children  had  died,  he,  nevertheless,  se- 
cured their  certificates,  and  hung  them  upon  the 
wall  with  the  others. 

His  last  illness  was  of  long  duration  and 
severe,  but  he  was  brave  and  never  complained. 
When  told  by  his  physician  that  he  could  not 
recover,  he  set  about,  in  his  methodical  way,  to 
adjust  his  affairs.  Being  self-possessed,  he  saw 
nothing  in  his  approaching  dissolution  to  cause 
alarm.  His  departure  from  earth  occurred 
January  11,  1900,  in  the  little  home  he  had  pur- 
chased nearly  a  half  century  before.  To  his 
loved  ones  his  testimony  was  sweet  and  assuring. 
His  old  friend,  Mr.  Bennehoff,  was  with  him  in 
his  last  hours,  and,  according  to  a  promise  made 
years  before,  conducted  his  funeral.  After  the 
final  prayer  at  his  bedside  his  soul  became 
ecstatic,  and  looking  through  the  rifted  veil,  he 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

exclaimed,  "Beautiful,  beautiful,  how  beautiful 
beyond  the  stream." 

His  dust  was  borne  by  six  of  his  ministerial 
brethren  to  its  final  restino^  place  to  await  the 
quickening  touch  of  the  final  resurrection. 

Just  four  years  after  the  hero's  death,  lack- 
ing  five  days,  the  devoted  wife,  amid  the  flicker- 
ing twilight  of  a  closing  day,  departed,  and  as 
she  pushed  out  from  this  side,  she  waved  lier 
hand  in  triumph,  saying,  "There's  a  light  on  the 
other  shore." 

Father  Hager,  in  the  following  poem,  pays  a 
beautiful  tribute  to  the  memory  of  his  old  com- 
rade in  service: 

"  'Beautiful !  beautiful !'  he  saw  the  gleam 
And  said,  'How  beautiful  beyond  the  stream !' 
He  stood  one  foot  on  life's  retiring  shore 
And  dipped  the  other  in  tlie  waves  before. 

"A  moment  halting  'twixt  two  worlds,  lie  stood 
And  saw  the  glory  shining  o'er  the  flood. 
With  breath  expiring,  these  glad  words  come 

back, 
To  cheer  his  friends  upon  life's  sloping  track. 

"Full  'three-score  years  and  ten,'  the  allotted 

time 
By  God  was  given  in  this  lower  clime; 
As  an  ambassador  for  Christ,  he  cried, 
And  with  his  fellow-soldiers,  side  by  side. 

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Our  Heroes^  or 

"The  battles  fought,  which  all    His    servants 
fight 
'Gainst  sin,  trusting  in  Christ  for  might. 
His  comrade,  pressing  him,  with  snowy  hair, 
Will  overtake,  and  soon  be  with  him  there. 

"O  God  of  grace!  give  them  the  strength  and 
pow'r 
Like  Him  to  triumph  in  the  latest  hour. 
And  safely  reach  the  glory  shining  shore, 
Of  all  the  ransomed  who  have  gone  before." 

The  foregoing  chapter  is  a  record,  not  of 
glittering  generalities  and  declamations  in 
speech,  but  of  matchless  trust,  of  heroic  deeds, 
and  of  great  things  accomplished  for  his  Church. 


196 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

JOHN  WILLIAMS  HOWE. 

A  Hero  of  Virginia  Conference. 

The  Virginia  Conference  territory  originally 
constituted  a  part  of  the  Hagerstown,  better 
known  as  the  "Mother  Conference"  of  the  de- 
nomination. It  is  therefore  sacred  to  United 
Brethrenism  because  its  soil  was  pressed  by  the 
feet  of  saints  and  heroes  like  Otterbein,  Boehm, 
Geeting,  Newcomer  and  Kumler. 

An  exceptional  body  of  men  composed  the 
session  which  convened  at  the  home  of  Peter 
Kemp,  near  Frederick  City,  Maryland,  a  hun- 
dred and  twelve  years  ago.  They  were  marked 
by  a  mighty  faith  and  holy  deeds.  Each  member 
is  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  list  of  heroes  recorded 
in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Hebrews.  The  evan- 
gelical revival  in  which  the  nineteenth  century 
dawned,  they  helped  to  promote.  A  recent  his- 
torian gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  Christianity 
was  saved  to  the  world  in  the  last  half  of  the 
eighteenth  and  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth 
centuries  by  itinerant  ministers,  whom  he  terms 
the  "spiritual  cavalry,"  who  sconred  the  country 
and  were  found  everywhere.  The  fourteen  men 
composing  the  conference  of  1800  belonged  to 
that  imperial  regiment.    What  heroes  they  were ! 

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Our  Heroes^  or 

And  with  what  superb  abandonment  they  went 
to  their  tasks!  Literature  does  not  disclose 
finer  si^ecimens  of  manhood  nor  record  deeds  of 
more  splendid  valor. 

By  an  act  of  the  General  Conference  in  1829 
the  Hagerstown  Conference,  including  in  its 
area  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  Pennsylvania, 
was  divided  into  two  sections,  known  as  the 
Hagerstown  and  Harrisburg  districts.  Within 
a  brief  period  subsequent  to  this  action,  the 
names  were  changed  to  Virginia  and  Pennsyl- 
vania Conferences.  The  Virginia  Conference 
met  in  its  first  separate  session  on  April  27,  1831, 
at  Millcreek,  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia. 
Twenty  ministers  were  present.  Bishop  Henry 
Kumler,  Sr.,  presided.  During  these  eighty 
years  since  that  first  session  the  conference  has 
made  for  itstelf  a  noble  record  in  the  men  it  has 
given  to  the  Church  and  in  the  work  it  has  ac- 
complished. Many  have  been  the  brave  workers 
who  have  toiled  in  the  field  until  the  going  down 
of  the  sun  and  have  gone  to  their  reward.  No 
greater  tribute  can  be  paid  a  conference  than 
that  it  produces  stalwart  men — men  who  de- 
serve to  be  called  great  because  of  their  services 
to  mankind. 

The  borders  of  the  conference  territory  were 
extended  westward  from  year  to  year,  including 
new  sections  of  the  great  Mountain  State, 
Foundations  w^ere  being  laid  for  a  new  confer- 
ence, which  had  its  rise  in  1858,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  strongest  numerically  of  the  Denomina- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

tion.  Within  a  third  of  a  century  United  Breth- 
renism  had  touched  through  its  itinerant  min- 
isters almost  every  section  of  the  Mountain 
State,  and  had  planted  its  banners  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ohio.  A  gateway  was  thereby  opened, 
through  which  many  of  our  heroes  have  passed 
to  assist  in  planting  the  Church  in  the  great 
empire  States  and  Territories  of  the  West. 

The  Rev.  John  Williams  Howe,  to  whose 
godly  life  and  heroic  services  this  chapter  is  de- 
voted, was  the  recognized  leader  and  dean  of  the 
Virginia  Conference  for  more  than  a  third  of  a 
century.  He  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  near  Flint 
Hill,  Rappahannock  County,  Virginia,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1829,  of  English  parentage.  He  was  the 
second  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  The  home 
was  without  religious  influence  or  training, 
and  the  society  in  wliich  he  passed  his  early 
years  was  generally  irreligious.  But  sometimes 
in  the  humblest  home,  amid  surroundings  where 
true  piety  is  rarely  seen,  there  is  manifest  the 
guiding  hand  of  God,  who  loves  his  Church, 
honors  prayer,  and  recognizes  the  need  of  espe- 
cially chosen  leadership  in  every  generation. 
Mr.  Howe  was  pleased  to  believe  in  an  overruling 
providence  that  shaped  his  entire  life. 

The  trying  experiences  of  his  early  years  were 
steps  upward.  His  humble  home  life,  emploj^- 
ments,  and  free  access  to  the  outer  world  con- 
tributed to  the  awakening  of  the  sense  of  free- 
dom within  him,  and  became  tributary  to  his 
independence  and   character.     He  was    left  to 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

"shift  for  himself"  largel^^,  and  this  gave  him 
early  habits  of  vigor  and  reliance.  He  worked 
on  the  farm;  had  but  few  luxuries,  and  these 
occupations  and  limitations  in  his  case  fostered 
that  healthy,  manly  independence  that  stood 
by  him  through  life.  It  could  be  said  of  him, 
as  it  could  be  said  of  men  only  of  heroic  mould, 
he  grew  great  because  of  his  struggle  and  in 
spite  of  his  surroundings. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  this  boy,  who  had  under 
his  brow  and  in  his  heart  all  the  possibilities  of 
a  great  preacher  and  spiritual  leader,  was  bound 
out  to  a  farmer  near  Strasburg,  in  Shenandoah 
County,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age,  and  who  always  afterward 
was  one  of  his  close  personal  friends.  For  his 
services  during  those  seven  years  he  received 
forty-five  dollars  and  a  suit  of  clothing.  "As  a 
young  farm-hand  he  was  one  of  the  best — strong, 
willing  and  industrious — but  wild  and  reckless." 
Until  this  time  it  would  seem  that  he  had  no  in- 
clination or  ambition  to  be  other  than  a  farm- 
hand. His  leisure  hours  were  devoted  to  "hav- 
ing a  good  time." 

The  twenty-second  birthday  of  this  young  man 
marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  epoch  in  his  life, 
when  a  consciousness  of  his  powers  began  to 
dawn  upon  him.  He  recalls  an  incident  which 
gave  him  a  desire  for  something  different  than 
that  which  he  had  chosen.  A  gentleman,  in  com- 
pany with  another,  told  of  a  man  in  middle  life 
turning  his  attention  to  study,  and  who  becam^e 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

a  great  success  in  his  profession.  Then,  turning  to 
Mr.  Howe,  he  said,  "Now,  John,  get  your  books 
and  go  to  work."  That  sentence  revolutionized 
his  life  and  placed  before  him  new  objectives. 
Mrs.  Browning  once  said  to  Charles  Kingsley: 
"What  is  the  secret  of  your  life?  Tell  me,  that 
I  may  make  mine  beautiful,  too."  In  four  words 
Mr.  Kingsley  gave  this  significant  reply,  "I  had 
a  friend."  A  personal  friend,  who  was  a  devout 
Christian,  and  whose  name  is  unknown,  is  said 
to  have  made  a  deep  impression  at  a  critical 
time  on  the  life  of  Mv.  Howe,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  winning  him  to  Christ.  It  is 
another  case  where  "the  man  who  has  never 
entered  history  made  history."  Many  a  layman, 
whose  name  may  never  be  known  until  the  day 
when  deeds  are  disclosed  and  heaven's  estimate 
of  character  revealed,  has  been  a  co-worker  with 
God  in  the  making  of  preachers. 

When  in  his  twenty- third  year,  Mr.  Howe  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Julia  Stickley,  an 
estimable  lady  residing  near  Toms  Brook,  Vir- 
ginia. One  year  later  (1855)  his  conversion  oc- 
curred. It  was  during  a  series  of  meetings  at  the 
old  Mount  Hebron  church,  in  Shenandoah 
CtJunty,  conducted  by  the  Rev.W.  R.  Coursey.  For 
three  years  he  had  been  under  conviction  and  had 
passed  through  great  struggles.  Now,  under  the 
teaching  and  preaching  of  this  man  of  God,  he 
was  shown  the  way  to  Christ,  and  came  to  a 
conscious  knowledge  of  sins  forgiven  and  peace 
with  God,    The  circumstances  of  his  conversion 

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Oar  Heroes^  or 

were  vivid  and  memorable.  He  could  and  did 
testify  to  the  hour  and  place. 

The  conviction  of  a  call  to  the  ministry,  as  in 
the  case  of  Paul,  was  almost  simultaneous  with 
his  conversion.  It  was  probably  not  an  accident 
that  he  was  brought  under  the  influence  of  the 
Rev.  John  Haney  during  the  year  following  his 
conversion,  for  he  was  a  prophet  who  knew  how 
to  advise  a  young  man  upon  whom  God  had 
placed  his  hand  for  the  ministry.  Mr.  Howe 
always  disclosed  and  frequently  asserted 
his  consciousness  of  a  divine  call  to  do  the 
work  he  was  doing.  In  presenting  the  claims 
of  the  gospel,  and  in  appealing  to  the  men  to 
accept  the  service  of  Christ,  he  insisted  that 
it  was  of  unspeakable  value  to  the  preacher 
to  feel  that  he  had  been  called  and  sent 
to  do  that  work,  to  feel  that  a  message  had 
been  committed  to  him,  and  that  in  proclaiming 
it  he  is  an  ambassador  of  God.  It  not  only  mul- 
tiplies ai  minister's  power,  but  makes  him  a  hero. 

Mr.  HoAve  began  preaching  in  March,  1857, 
under  the  direction  of  Presiding  Elder,  Eev. 
Jacob  Markwood  (afterward  Bishop  Mark- 
wood).  In  1858  he  joined  the  Virginia  Confer- 
ence and  was  appointed  to  his  first  regular 
charge.  The  territory  comprised  Augusta, 
Highland,  and  Pendleton  counties,  requiring  a 
journey  of  more  than  two  hundred  miles  to  make 
one  round  of  the  circuit.  There  being  but  few 
church-houses  in  those  days,  services  were  held 
in  private  homes,  in  barns,  or  in  the  woods  as 

202 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

seemed  best.  Mr,  Howe  describes  most  toiicb- 
ingly  his  feelings  on  leaving  his  family  for  his 
first  visit  to  the  circuit;  how  he  "invoked  God's 
blessing  upon  them  and  heaven's  protection 
over  them  during  his  absence,"  "As  I  pressed 
my  way  on  horseback,"  said  he,  "I  was  often 
saying  to  the  Lord  that  if  he  would  help  me  to 
win  one  soul  to  Christ,  I  would  take  it  as  evi- 
dence of  his  acceptance  of  me  as  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,"  His  work  was  greatly  blessed  of  the 
Lord.  More  than  a  hundred  souls  were  con- 
verted and  added  to  the  Church  during  the  year. 
For  his  services  he  received  a  salary  of  sixty 
dollars. 

From  the  first,  Mr,  Howe  attracted  attention 
as  a  preacher,  quickly  rising  to  prominence.  He 
remained  on  the  charge  three  years  with  increas- 
ing success.  During  these  years  he  spent  much 
of  his  time  on  horseback,  and  away  from  his 
family.  Home,  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  few 
of  the  itinerant  ministers  of  those  days  knew.  Not 
only  had  they  "no  cottage  in  the  wilderness,"  as 
they  w^ere  wont  to  say  in  song,  but  no  resting 
place  in  the  cottage  of  any  one  else.  They  trav- 
eled many  hundreds  of  miles  annually,  most  of 
the  distance  on  horseback,  sometimes  on  foot, 
yet  found  time  somewhere  for  study.  This  was 
true  of  Mr.  Howe,  whose  early  educational  ad- 
vantages were  most  meager;  but  he  applied 
himself  to  study,  was  thoughtfully  studious, 
forming  the  habit  of  reading  on  horseback,  in 
the  cabins,  and  in  the  groves,  and  the  persistence 

203 


Our  Heroes,  or 

of  this  habit  brought  to  him  in  his  mature  life  a 
richly-stored  mind. 

In  the  evening  time  of  life  this  veteran  servant 
of  God  bore  testimony  that  the  happiest  days  of 
his  life  were  to  be  found  among  those  which  he 
spent  on  his  large  mountain  circuits,  or  during 
the  opening  years  of  his  ministry,  holding  reviv- 
als, preaching  and  singing  the  glorious  gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God.  Many  were  the  hardships  en- 
dured. He  sometimes  lost  his  way  in  the  moun- 
tains and  imperiled  his  life  in  crossing  the  swol- 
len streams.  At  times  he  suffered  from  hunger 
and  cold.  But  all  these  things  he  bravely  faced 
and  endured  without  a  murmur.  From  the  time 
he  joined  the  conference  to  the  day  of  his  death 
he  was  a  tireless  and  triumphant  itinerant.  His 
conviction  of  duty  and  love  for  souls  kept  him 
from  the  mere  perfunctory  discharge  of  his 
tasks;  he  had  to  be  a  minister  in  fact  as  well  as 
in  name.  His  nature,  second  birth,  and  divine 
call  drove  him  steadily  forward.  No  mountain 
was  high  to  his  feet,  no  night  black  to  his  eye. 
He  saw  the  need,  heeded  the  call,  and  was  off  to 
the  rescue. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Howe 
was  transferred  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley, 
where  he  spent  the  following  seven  years  chiefly 
in  Rockingham  and  Augusta  counties,  preaching 
as  opportunities  were  afforded.  In  no  other 
conference  was  the  heroism  of  the  ministers  and 
people  tried  as  in  this,  during  those  three  dread- 
ful years,  when     their     territory  was    a    great 

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United  Bi'ethrcn  Home  Missionaries 

battlefield.  Mr.  Howe  like  a  liero  remained  with 
his  people.  He  loved  them  and  would  not  for- 
sake them  in  their  struggles  and  afflictions. 
Even  though  his  own  life  was  in  peril  he  con- 
tinued faithfully  to  bear  to  them  the  consolation 
of  the  gospel.  At  one  time  w^hen  conducting  a 
funeral  service,  a  company  of  Confederate  cav- 
alry surrounded  the  house  with  the  purpose,  it 
was  supposed,  to  take  his  life.  After  listening 
to  the  sermon  from  the  open  windows  and  fol- 
lowing the  procession  to  the  grave,  they  were  so 
completely  subdued  by  the  personality  of  the 
preacher  and  the  power  of  his  message  that, 
while  the  closing  prayer  was  being  offered,  they 
quietly  rode  away  without  doing  him  injury. 

His  labors  during  those  years  were  very 
trying  and  hazardous.  His  duties  called  him 
within  the  lines  of  both  armies.  The  anxiety 
felt  for  him  by  his  family  and  friends  while  on 
his  journeys  was  very  great.  These  terrible 
years  of  suffering  so  disorganized  and  disin- 
tegrated the  Church  that  Bishop  Markwood, 
himself  a  Virginian,  declared  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  "There  is  nothing  left  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church  in  Virginia." 

The  first  meeting  of  the  conference  after  the 
war  was  a  memorable  occasion.  Brethren  in  the 
ministry,  separated  for  years,  met  again  and  re- 
joiced in  tearful  gratitude  in  the  good  providence 
that  had  been  over  them  in  the  years  of  their 
enforced  separation.  The  conference  opened 
with  a  testimony  meeting  followed  by  commun- 

205 


Our  Heroes,  or 

ion.  One  who  was  present,  says:  "I  can  see 
Bishop  Glossbreuner  yet,  as  he  stood  leaning  on 
the  pulpit,  while  great  tears  ran  thick  and  fast 
down  his  cheeks,  as  he  saw  the  brethren  of  his 
own  afflicted  conference  once  again  gathered  in 
love  abont  the  communion  board.  No  one  who 
was  present  will  ever  forget  the  grace  and  love 
and  salvation  which  flowed."  It  was  an  oc- 
casion of  reconsecration  for  service. 

From  that  mount  of  i3rivilege  and  blessing 
this  company  of  God's  noblemen  went  out  to 
begin  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  conference. 
John  Howe  was  brought  to  the  kingdom  for 
such  a  time  as  this.  Others  had  the  full  measure 
of  his  power  as  a  preacher.  He  was  not  more 
cultured  than  some  of  his  colleagues,  nor  more 
zealous  than  they  for  the  success  of  the  cause 
in  which  they  were  enlisted.  But  on  his  brow 
rested  a  crown  of  leadership  that  was  readily 
recognized.  Very  speedily  he  was  forced  to  the 
front.  It  is  not  to  his  discredit  that  he 
was  willing  to  go.  He  had  his  ambitions; 
but  they  were  not  unworthy,  and  they 
were  ever  obedient  to  his  sense  of  duty. 
For  thirty-five  years  his  position  of  leadership 
was  undisputed,  during  which  time  he  saw  a 
conference  built  upon  the  ruins  of  the  one  an- 
nihilated by  the  Civil  War,  thirteen  thousand 
strong. 

Both  in  temperament  and  faith  he  possessed 
the  characteristic  optimism  of  a  successful  gen- 
eral.    He  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence, 

206 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

about  six  feet  in  height,  graceful  in  form, 
possessing  a  strong  voice  well  managed  and  full 
of  feeling  and  force.  His  personality  was 
charged  like  a  battery  with  vitality.  He  was 
intense  in  his  enthusiasm,  cheerful  and  kindly 
in  disposition,  and  his  joviality  lingered  with 
him  through  all  the  storms  of  life,  and  alleviated 
such  hardness  of  lot  as  he  was  called  to  endure. 
His  faith  was  of  the  singing  kind.  He  believed 
in  God ;  he  believed  in  the  x^eople ;  he  believed  in 
the  Church ;  he  believed  in  the  Bible ;  he  believed 
in  the  gospel ;  he  believed  in  the  conquering  power 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  ultimate  triumph  of  his 
kingdom  in  the  earth,  and  he  pressed  to  his  work 
with  the  optimism  of  a  song. 

For  about  twenty  years  he  occupied  the  posi- 
tion of  presiding  elder.  In  this  relation  he  not 
only  showed  great  strength  as  an  evangelist,  but 
also  as  an  organizer  and  executive.  By  means  of 
"bush  meetings"  and  "camp-meetings"  during 
the  summer  season,  great  revivals  were  pro- 
moted, entire  communities  were  saved,  and 
foundations  laid  for  churches.  In  these  meet- 
ings he  was  a  master  in  directing  the  forces.  He 
was  honored  and  loved  as  a  commander  because 
he  was  uniformly  at  the  forefront  in  the  battle. 
As  the  white  plume  of  Henry  of  Navarre  sig- 
nalized the  point  where  the  battle  was  being 
most  hotly  waged,  so  there  was  no  battle-line  of 
aggressive  United  Brethrenism  in  which  John 
Howe  was  not  always  to  be  seen  leading  the  ad- 
vance.    It  was  an  object  lesson  always  inspiring 

207 


Owr  Heroes,  or 

others  to  heroic  service.  He  had  a  fine  apprecia- 
tion of  music,  and  was  a  good  singer,  not  prob- 
abl}^  according  to  modern  standards,  but  who 
thought  of  standards  as  his  voice  was  heard 
rising  above  the  great  congregation?  Late  in  the 
sixties  he  resided  at  Singers  Glen,  where  T. 
Funk  &  Sons  published  the  old  "Harmonia 
Sacra,''  At  that  time  he  collected  and  edited  a 
songbook,  especially  for  use  at  the  camp-meet- 
ings. It  proved  exceedingly  popular.  The  de- 
mand for  another  and  larger  work  of  the  kind 
explains  the  origin  of  Kuebush,  Kieffer  &  Com- 
pany, the  enterprising  and  prosperous  music 
publishers  now  of  Dayton,  Virginia,  of  which  Mr. 
Howe  was  the  senior  partner. 

A  just  estimate  of  the  life  and  character  of 
John  Howe  would  not  be  given  if  measured  by 
the  ordinary  standards  of  measuring  men.  In 
him  we  have  the  gospel  preacher,  the  inspiring 
singer,  the  fervent  evangelist,  the  wise  organ- 
izer, the  constructive  builder,  the  successful 
financier,  and  the  dauntless  advocate  of  the 
Church  with  all  of  its  institutions.  It  is  given 
unto  some  men  to  possess  most  of  these  talents. 
but  to  him  was  given  them  all  in  an  unusual  de- 
gree. If  his  powers  had  been  so  directed,  he, 
undoubtedly  would  have  made  a  notable  figure 
in  civic  life,  and  might  have  become  a  statesman 
of  wide-reaching  and  most  beneficent  influence. 
But  all  his  patriotism  and  all  his  knowledge  of 
public  affairs  were  made  subordinate  and  trib- 
utary to  the  work  of  the  ministry.     For  thirty- 

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JOHN    WILLIAMS    HOWE 


United  Brctlinii  Home  Missionaries 

five  years  he  was  a  proiniuent  figure  in  the 
general  councils  of  the  Church.  To  him  was 
given  the  exceptional  honor  to  represent  his 
conference  in  eight  successive  sessions  of  the 
General  Conference  and  to  be  elected  to  the 
ninth.     His  first  election  occurred  in  1869. 

Mr.  Howe  was  intellectually  conservative.  He 
had  his  opinions,  which  he  fearlessly,  and  even 
tenaciously,  defended.  But  he  was  not  an 
ecclesiastical  bigot.  In  accord  with  his  own 
convictions  and  the  traditions  of  the  Church,  he 
opposed  the  adoption  of  the  "Revised  Constitu- 
tion" in  1889.  But  when  a  majority  pronounced 
in  its  favor,  as  a  member  of  a  denomination  whose 
polity  is  peculiarly  American,  he  gracefully 
submitted,  and  subsequently  manifested  the 
same  unquestioned  loyalty  as  a  leader,  in  which 
the  real  greatness  of  the  man  appears. 

Probably  no  man  of  the  Church  has  succeeded 
in  turning  more  young  men  toward  the  Chris- 
tian ministry.  From  the  human  side  many  owe 
to  him  their  opportunity,  equipment,  and  inspir- 
ation for  service.  Himself  wholly  self-educated, 
he  was  the  staunch  friend  of  education  by  the 
Church  schools.  He  saw  the  need  of  a  higher 
training  for  those  who  were  to  lead  the  United 
Brethren  hosts  of  the  future,  and,  unlike  some 
presiding  elders,  he  sought  to  turn  young  men 
to  the  schools,  and  emphasized  a  high  standard 
of  ministerial  fitness.  He  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers and  most  generous  supporters  of  Shenan- 
doah Collegiate  Institute.     The  splendid  "Howe 

209 


Our  Heroes ,  or 

Memorial  Building,"  occupying  a  site  on  the 
institute  campus,  in  front  of  his  late  residence, 
was  made  possible  by  his  interest  and  princely 
beneficence.  It  was  erected  as  a  memorial  to 
his  only  son,  who  died  in  childhood. 

He  believed  in  the  itineracy,  and  by  his  ex- 
ample illustrated  its  effectiveness.  Ease  and 
earthly  reward  he  sought  not.  He  endured 
hardness  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Three  times  he  returned  from  his  field  to  find 
his  home  in  ashes  and  his  family  homeless  and 
broken-hearted.  At  another  time  the  savings  of 
his  meager  salary  were  swept  away  by  mis- 
fortune. The  greatest  of  all  trials  and  losses 
came,  when  the  mother  and  faithful  companion 
of  twenty-eight  years  was  taken  to  her  reward. 
It  was  the  morning  of  the  fourteenth  of  Septem- 
ber, 1879.  But,  rising  above  these  losses,  this 
hero  of  faith  pressed  on  in  his  mighty  purpose 
to  glorify  God  and  save  souls.  Not  long  before 
his  translation,  while  reviewing  his  past  life,  he 
remarked  to  a  friend :  ''I  have  been  an  itinerant 
now  for  forty-five  years,  and,  were  I  called  back 
that  many  years,  I  would  cheerfully  retrace 
tliem  in  so  glorious  a  cause,  in  preference  to 
sitting  on  a  splendid  earthly  throne." 

In  distinguished  and  heroic  service,  this 
veteran  servant  of  God  was  not  only  a  worthy 
peer,  but  in  the  priceless  example  of  saintliness 
he  was  prominent  among  his  brethren.  He  was 
preeminently  a  man  of  God.  The  hardness  of 
his  lot  had  constantly  led  to  a  more  complete 

210 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

enthronement  of  the  Christ  in  his  life;  it  being 
true,  as  Horace  Bushnell  said  that  "Great  trials 
make  great  saints,  and  deserts  and  stone  pillows 
prepare  for  an  open  heaven  and  an  angel-crowded 
ladder." 

The  evening  of  his  life  was  made  happier  by 
his  marriage  in  1890  to  Miss  Eebecca  Hancher, 
a  noble  Christian  lady  of  Winchester,  Virginia. 
In  beautiful  fidelity,  and  in  mutual  bestowment 
of  love  and  happiness,  they  walked  together  as 
the  shadows  gathered.  It  was  from  his  home  in 
Dayton,  Virginia,  that  his  departure  occurred. 
He  had  reached  the  mature  age  of  seventy-eight 
years,  six  months,  and  fifteen  days.  His  loved 
ones  were  about  him.  When  the  moment 
arrived,  with  his  eyes  seemingly  fixed  on  the 
great  recompense  of  reward,  he  said  good-bye  to 
earth,  and  the  hero  of  many  a  battlefield  went 
forth  to  be  crowned. 


211 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

EZRA  D.  PALMER. 

Prominent  as  Churchman  and  Leader. 

Deaii  Farrar  says,  "Every  true  man  deriyes  his 
patent  of  nobility  direct  from  God.''  Even  so. 
The  Almighty  knows  where  to  bestow  his  special 
gifts,  and  what  to  require  in  return.  He  knows 
where  and  how  to  get  his  men  when  fidelity  is 
most  needed,  and  great  achievements  are  to  be 
wrought  in  his  Church.  These  men,  however, 
are  not  always  found  in  the  so-called  higher 
circles  of  society,  but  as  often,  perhaps  more 
frequently,  in  the  humbler  walks  of  life.  When 
God  wanted  a  great  king  for  Israel,  he  went  to 
the  sheepfold  in  search  of  David.  Even  the 
"Lord  of  life,  and  all  the  world"  was,  himself, 
till  thirty  years  old,  a  carpenter  at  Nazareth. 

Ezra  D.  Palmer,  born  in  Wayne  County, 
jNIichigan,  October  15,  1833,  so  wove  his  life  and 
labors  into  the  warp  and  woof  of  Rock  River 
Conference,  at  present  a  part  of  the  larger  Cen- 
tral Illinois  Conference,  that  a  just  representa- 
tion of  that  portion  of  the  Church  could  not  be 
made  if  his  name  were  dropped  from  the  roll  of 
its  worthy  members. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Illinois,  and  located  near  Rock  Island 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

on  a  farm.  The  famil}^  Avere  devoted  United 
Brethren,  which  fact,  no  doubt,  intensified  the 
young  man's  love  for  the  Cliurch,  and  his  will- 
ingness to  give  his  whole  life  to  its  service.  The 
years  of  poverty  and  obscurity,  of  struggle  and 
self-denial,  which  he  spent  in  his  humble  country 
home  Avere  important  after  all,  for  they  were 
years  of  growth  and  training.  Even  when  a 
small  boy,  long  before  he  openly  professed 
religion,  Ezra  was  impressed  that  the  ministry 
was  to  be  his  work,  and  was  often  heard  in  the 
field  practicing  on  the  cattle  or  stumps  or  what- 
ever he  might  be  able  to  line  up  for  a  congre- 
gation. 

When  nineteen  he  gave  himself  in  full  surren- 
der to  his  Lord.  Yet  to  enter  the  pulpit  ^^'as  a 
task  more  difficult  than  he  had  anticipated.  The 
solemn  responsibilities  connected  with  the  high 
calling  on  the  one  hand,  and  his  sense  of  unpre- 
paredness  to  meet  its  demands  on  the  other 
hand,  led  him  to  hesitate.  Like  Moses,  he  could 
say,  "Who  am  I  that  I  should  go?"  But,  like 
the  law-giver,  he  also  obeyed  and  went.  In  1859 
he  was  granted  annual  conference  license,  and 
later  ordained  by  Bishop  Markwood.  In  1861 
he  reached  a  final  decision,  severed  every  tie 
which  bound  him  to  a  secular  life,  and  entered 
the  work  in  which  he  remained  until  transferred 
to  his  heavenly  reward. 

His  first  field  was  Van  Orin  Mission.  Having 
no  horse  of  his  own,  he  walked  from  one  appoint- 

213 


Our  Heroes,  or 

ment  to  another,  preaching  three  times  every 
Sabbath.  On  one  Sunday  the  distance  to  be 
covered  between  two  of  his  appointments  was 
fifteen  miles,  but  he  was  never  late.  Trudging 
through  the  mud  and  snow  sometimes  so  wearied 
him  that  when  he  arose  to  preach,  his  garments 
were  wet  with  sweat,  and  in  other  instances 
soaked  with  rain. 

But  what  of  it  all?  What  if  he  did  receive 
only  sixty  dollars  for  the  year's  toil?  He  had 
set  out  to  make  the  ministry  his  life-AVork,  and 
from  this  purpose  nothing  could  turn  him  aside. 
To  what  extent  he  succeeded  in  arousing  his 
people  religiously  we  do  not  know,  but  we  are 
assured  that  the  next  year  on  Yorktown  Mission 
he  had  great  revivals  at  all  five  of  his  appoint- 
ments. His  salary  was  just  flOO.OO — a  mere 
pittance,  to  be  sure ;  but  it  should  be  remembered 
that  half  a  century  ago  the  early  settlers  in 
Illinois,  as  well  as  elsewhere  in  the  West,  were 
for  the  most  part  poor,  and  untrained  in  the 
duty  of  giving.  In  June  of  this  year  Mr.  Palmer 
was  married  to  INIiss  Elizabeth  Carter,  of  Wash- 
ington County,  Iowa,  who,  henceforth,  proved  a 
worthy  helper  both  in  the  home  and  in  religious 
work.  Having  no  parsonage,  they  visited  among 
the  people  till  conference  convened,  when  they 
were  assigned  to  the  ISIendota  charge.  Here  they 
had  a  parsonage  and  received  |300.00  salary. 
But  out  of  this  sum  $175.00  was  paid  for  a  horse 
and  buggy,  and  twenty  dollars  for  an  overcoat. 

214 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

The  work  required  three  sermons  each  Sabbath, 
besides  a  long  drive.  Again  gracious  revivals 
were  promoted,  and  the  whole  circuit  given 
the  touch  of  a  new  spiritual  life.  Two  of 
his  converts  afterward  became  ministers  of 
reconciliation. 

But  the  year  was  not  without  its  bitter  expe- 
riences. The  "wolf,"  at  times,  came  near  the 
parsonage  door.  Once  when  they  found  them- 
selves without  bread,  the  preacher  decided  to  go 
into  the  harvest  field  and  earn  a  few  dollars 
with  his  hands,  but  even  this  plan  of  providing 
against  want  was  frustrated  by  a  serious  injury 
which  he  received  in  his  back.  The  situation 
seemed  desperate  to  them  both;  but,  as  has 
always  been  the  case,  relief  came  in  God's  own 
good  way.  We  will  let  Mrs.  Palmer,  who  is  yet 
living,  make  the  explanation.  She  writes:  "I 
borrowed  enough  bread  of  a  neighbor  to  furnish 
husband  with  toast,  and  went  Avithout  food  my- 
self. After  a  day's  experience  like  that  I  went 
to  the  secret  place  and  there  on  my  knees,  all 
alone  with  God,  I  told  him  about  our  wants; 
and  while  yet  pouring  out  my  heart  in  petition, 
the  steward  came  with  the  needed  provisions. 
But  we  had  no  money,  and  that  was  a  thing  we 
had  to  have  as  well  as  food.  So  I  kept  on  asking 
for  it.  The  next  day  a  dear  old  lady  called  and 
told  us  that  she  had  two  dollars  and  wanted  to 
give  us  one.  So  the  Lord  heard  us,  and  we  got 
both  money  and  bread."    After  this,  Mr.  Palmer 

215 


Our  Heroes,  or 

could  not  ride  long  in  a  carriage  without  a 
pillow  at  his  back. 

Troy  Grove,  Orangeville,  Polo,  Will  County, 
and  New  Medford  circuits  were  in  turn  traveled 
by  him.  On  the  last  named  especially  he  had 
glorious  revivals,  and  the  ingathering  of  mem- 
bers was  abundant.  Here  he  built  a  new  church 
house,  the  first  to  be  erected  on  the  charge.  His 
pastorate  lasted  three  years,  and  a  large  petition 
for  his  return  Avas  sent  up  to  conference.  But 
feeling  that  some  one  of  his  brethren  with  more 
bodily  strength  could  better  meet  the  demands 
of  so  large  a  field,  he  requested  a  change,  and  it 
was  granted. 

On  some  of  his  charges  his  entire  effort  was 
to  reconstruct.  Internal  strife  had  created 
division,  and  warring  factions  had  paralyzed  the 
Church's  energies,  hence  his  peculiar  tact  and 
patience  were  required  to  harmonize  embittered 
elements,  and  to  restore  the  Church  to  public 
confidence.  No  man  in  the  conference  was  better 
fitted  for  this  kind  of  service  than  he,  and  no 
one  was  more  successful.  He  was  twice  elected 
presiding  elder,  but  owing  to  poor  health  refused 
to  serve  after  the  second  year. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  trace  his  record  year 
after  year  through  the  three  decades  he  spent  in 
pastoral  work,  interesting  as  such  a  history 
might  be;  but  we  Avould  direct  attention  espe- 
cially to  the  influence  he  exerted  upon  the  life 
and  policies  of  his   conference  by  his  upright 

216 


EZRA  D.   PALMER 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

living,  evangelical  preaching,  and  well-balanced 
judgment.  In  some  of  these  elements  of  strength 
he  had  no  peer  among  his  brethren. 

When  others  faltered  he  was  immovable.  He 
was  faithful  among  the  faithless,  true  among  the 
false,  unselfish  among  the  self-centered.  When 
he  spoke  the  people  believed  him.  Unskilled  in 
the  arts  of  diplomacy,  unpracticed  in  the  inge- 
nuities of  indirection,  deceit,  and  intrigue, 
untrained  in  the  formalities  of  the  so-called 
higher  circles,  he  relied  upon  the  plain,  old- 
fashioned  truth  of  God,  and  constantly  made 
friends  for  himself  and  the  cause  for  which  he 
stood.  Never,  even  to  save  himself,  did  he 
neglect  and  sacrifice  the  interests  of  the  Church. 
He  never  allowed  any  criticism  of  his  work  to 
generate  in  him  feelings  of  revenge,  or  to  stir 
him  to  thoughts  and  deeds  of  bitterness.  He 
was  immeasurably  above  such  a,  plane. 

xilways  modest  and  unpretentious,  he  laid  no 
claim  to  greatness.  "As  the  jasmine  ^withholds 
its  odor  in  the  glare  of  the  mid-day  sun,  but  lets 
it  out  to  the  twilight  zephyrs,"  so  this  man  of 
simple  trust,  timid  and  retiring  on  brilliant 
occasions,  exerted  a  most  delightful  influence  in 
the  seeming  humble  task  of  ministering  to  souls. 

Yet  it  must  be  said  that  this  self-abandon  and 
surrender  to  service  for  others  made  him  great 
in  the  truest  sense,  and  won  for  him  the  love  and 
admiration  of  all  honest,  thoughtful  people. 
Such    elements    in    his    character    as    habitual 

217 


Our  Heroes,  or 

prayerf ulness ;  perseverance  at  any  cost  in  his 
God-given  work ;  his  daily  reading  of  the  Word ; 
his  unyielding  faith  under  circumstances  adverse 
and  trying;  his  renunciation  of  everything 
antagonistic  to  ai  holy  life,  left  a  trail  of  light 
behind  him,  and  lifted  his  whole  career  into  the 
realm  of  the  heroic.  They  were  qualities  of 
priceless  value,  and  challenge  the  imitation  of 
all  who  follow  in  his  field  of  toil. 

His  wliole  life  was  sacrificial.  He  gave  him- 
self for  others.  His  real  merits  cannot  be  deter- 
mined SOI  much  by  dashing  achievements  in  the 
field  as  by  the  devoted  life  he  lived,  and  the 
Christian  influence  he  almost  unconsciously 
exerted  over  the  people  and  the  churches  he 
served.  We  cannot  speak  of  all  the  sacrifices  he 
made.  One  of  his  daughters  begs  us  not  to  do 
so.  But,  after  all,  they  are  written  somewhere 
in  God's  biography  of  heroes.  It  was  this  spirit 
that  kept  him  in  constant  touch  with  his  Christ, 
"who,  though  rich,  for  our  sakes  became  poor," 
Only  a  sacrificing  life  can  build  permanently 
for  the  kingdom.  Everything  worth  having 
comes  through  sacrifice.  It  is  this  which  makes 
the  mother  of  such  great  value  to  her  children. 
Through  the  spirit  of  self-giving  the  fathers  of 
our  country  have  handed  down  to  us  a  goodly 
heritage.  The  United  Brethren  Church  itself  is 
the  gift  of  sacrifice.  The  foundations  of  the 
superstructure  were  laid  amid  the  sweat,  and 
tears,  and  blood,  of  her  noble  sires. 

218 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Mr.  Palmer's  high  conception  of  duty  led  to 
the  unconditional  surrender  of  himself  and  all 
that  self  could  claim. 

As  a  student  he  excelled.  His  library  was 
richly  furnished  for  his  day.  Knowing  his  love 
for  books,  and  his  ever-growing  eagerness  for 
knowledge,  his  family  often  deprived  themselves 
of  many  of  the  little  comforts  and  necessities  of 
life  in  order  that  he  might  supply  himself  with 
such  reading  matter  as  he  deemed  helpful  in  his 
work.  They  also  knew  that  he  would  not  go  in 
debt  for  books,  or  anything  else,  hence  in  stint- 
ing themselves  they  encouraged  and  aided  him 
in  carrying  out  a  principle  to  which  he  had 
strictly  adhered  all  through  life.  He  often 
remarked:  "I  will  not  buy  what  I  cannot  pay 
for.  It  shall  not  be  said  when  I  am  dead,  that 
Palmer  did  not  pay  his  debts."  In  other  words, 
he  could  not  afford  to  do  anj^thing  that  would 
discredit  his  high  and  holy  calling,  and  reflect 
upon  the  Church  he  loved. 

Preaching  was  to  him  the  most  blessed  of  all 
privileges.  And  he  kept  it  up  until,  at  times,  he 
was  compelled  to  sit  in  a  chair  and  deliver  his 
message,  Avitli  scarcely  enough  strength  to  make 
himself  heard  by  the  audience.  When  brought 
to  realize  fully  that  his  work  was  done,  he  wept 
I'egretful  tears  over  the  thought  that  his  last 
sermon  had  been  preached.  His  books  were 
mainly  theological.  He  believed  the  Bible  with 
all  his  heart,  and  read  and  studied  it  with  an 
expanding  love. 

219 


Our  Heroes^  or 

Doctor  Alexander,  of  Princeton,  said  when  on 
his  death-bed,  "All  m^^  theological  knowledge 
can  be  summed  up  in  one  word — Jesus."  So 
precisely  with  Ezra  D.  Palmer.  His  entire  creed 
was  wrapped  up  in  the  all-prevailing  name.  His 
faith  never  wavered.  With  a  grip  of  steel  he 
held  to  the  great  verities  of  religion.  In  his 
hours  of  holy  communion  he  drew  from  the 
fountain  which  had  fed  and  nourished  all  the 
noble  qualities  which  characterized  his  life.  If 
the  four  walls  of  his  study,  where  he  so  loved  to 
dwell,  could  only  speak,  what  messages  they 
would  bring  to  the  Church !  Ah,  what  tears  and 
prayers,  what  struggles  and  inspirations  Avould 
be  revealed !  What  food  the  good  angels  brought 
him  there! 

Would  not  such  a  man,  we  ask,  leave  an  abid- 
ing impress  of  character  and  holy  purpose  upon 
the  conference  in  which  he  had  spent  the  days 
of  his  life?  His  real  worth  to  tlie  Church  cannot 
be  put  in  words.  For  the  full  value  and  fruition 
of  such  a  life  we  must  wait.  "For  their  works 
do  follow  them." 

Rev.  T.  J.  Bauder,  of  Oakland,  California,  in 
a  recent  letter  bears  this  testimony:  "Before  I 
became  a  Christian  I  was  very  much  opposed  to 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  One  of  the 
preachers  had  called  on  me,  but  I  turned  him 
away.  This  act,  however,  brought  feelings  of 
regret  to  my  heart,  and  I  said,  'Before  God,  I 
will  see  who  these  people  are.'    About  this  time 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Rev.  E.  D.  Palmer  became  pastor  of  the  church 
nearest  me,  some  five  miles  distant.  One  Sunday 
morning  wife  and  I  went  to  hear  him  j^reach, 
and  took  our  seat  in  the  rear  of  the  house.  His 
very  appearance  impressed  me,  and  the  sermon 
I  have  never  forgotten.  It  has  become  a  part  of 
my  being.  I  said  to  wife,  'This  is  it,'  and  sent  a 
note  to  the  pulpit  asking  to  be  received  into  the 
church.  We  were  given  a  Avarm  welcome,  and 
the  following  day  he  came  to  our  home.  We  had 
a  good  time.  Upon  leaving  we  filled  his  buggy 
with  oats,  ham,  eggs,  and  other  good  things  for 
the  family.  From  that  time  on  we  were  knit 
together.  He  and  his  wife  were  beautiful  char- 
acters. Just  how  fully  my  life  was  possessed 
and  shaped  by  his,  only  eternity  can  tell." 

How  did  he  die?  Such  a  man  is  always  vic- 
torious on  the  last  battlefield.  The  presence  of 
death  never  fails  to  reveal  the  inmost  soul.  The 
hour  of  departure  from  earth  brings  every  man 
to  his  individuality.  One  may  live  as  a  hero,  or 
statesman,  or  conqueror,  but  he  must  die  as  a 
man.  As  a  man  trusting  and  conquering  Mr. 
Palmer  died.  In  his  last  moments  he  said  to  one 
of  his  sons,  ''Oh,  it  pays  to  be  a  Christian,"  and 
then  sang 

"Amen,  amen,  my  soul  replies, 
I  am  bound  to  meet  jo\i  in  the  skies. 
And  claim  my  mansion  there." 

221 


Our  Heroes ,  or 

Then  taking  hold  of  his  wife's  hand,  which  had 
stayed  and  helped  him  so  often,  he  closed  his 
eyes  and  fell  asleep. 

Glorious  beyond!  The  preacher-pastor  with 
his  people  now.  More  are  they  that  are  with  him 
above  the  scenes  of  toil  than  served  and  suffered 
with  him  while  here  below.  Not  his  a  host  of 
worn  and  weary;  not  his  to  again  feel  the  pangs 
of  sorrow  in  the  sick-room  or  death-chamber; 
upon  his  ear  breaks  nevermore  the  dissonance  of 
conflicting  clamor.  Never,  never.  But  the 
spirits  of  youth  immortal,  and  of  a  life  eternal, 
troop  around  him  with  a  love  purer  than  ours, 
and  a  joy  which  only  the  redeeimed  can  know. 

Over  the  grave  which  hides  away  his  sleeping 
dust  will  ever  bloom  in  unfading  verdure  the 
laurels  of  gratitude  planted  by  a  devoted  confer- 
ence. 


222 


CHAPTER  XV. 
M.  L.  TIBBETTS. 

One  of  Minnesota's  Early  Pioneers. 

In  the  first  volume  of  "Our  Heroes,"  a  chapter 
is  devoted  to  Eev.  J.  W.  Fulkerson,  our  first 
regularly  appointed  missionary  to  Minnesota, 
who  reached  the  new  territory  in  1856.  One  of 
his  early  coworkers  was  Rev.  M.  L.  Tibbetts,  the 
subject  of  this  chapter,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Pleasant  View,  Marion  County,  Indiana,  May 
30, 1833.  Twelve  years  later  his  father,  a  tanner 
by  trade,  moved  to  Iowa,  where  for  two  years 
they  lived  sixty  miles  from  the  nearest  store, 
post-office,  church,  or  schoolhouse. 

His  parents  were  Christians  and  threw  about 
the  lad  the  very  best  and  most  helpful  religious 
influences.  Referring  to  his  early  home,  Mr. 
Tibbetts  says:  "Father's  house  was  subject  to 
rules  of  piety.  Family  prayer  was  seldoln,  if 
ever,  neglected.  Morning  and  evening  God's 
Word  was  read,  and  the  voice  of  prayer  and  song 
could  be  heard  in  our  home." 

After  a  residence  of  seven  years  in  Iowa  the 
family  moved  to  Minnesota,  and  located  on 
Government  land  in  Winona  County,  near  the 
Mississippi  River.  Rev.  Edmund  Clow,  of  Rock 
River  Conference,  was  the  first  preacher  in  that 

223 


Our  Heroes,  or 

north  country,  moving  into  Pine  Creek  Valley 
in  1855.  Soon  thereafter  he  organized  a  United 
Brethren  class  of  forty  members  as  the  result  of 
a  great  religious  awakening.  At  this  meeting 
young  Tibbetts  received  his  first  really  strong- 
impulse  toward  a  Christian  life,  though  he  did 
not  profess  conversion  at  the  time.  Shortly 
afterTN^ards  a  scourge  of  smallpox  swept  over  the 
countr}^,  causing  havoc  among  the  new  settlers. 
His  father  was  one  of  the  victims,  and  for  many 
days  the  son  lingered  in  the  balance.  After  he 
began  to  recover  the  home  Avas  quarantined  for 
weeks,  which  gave  him  a  chance  to  read  the 
Bible  and  other  good  books,  and  to^  meditate 
upon  his  great  need  of  salvation. 

The  following  August  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Eliza  M.  Warren,  who  for  a  full  half-centur^' 
proved  faithful  and  devoted  in  all  things  that 
pertain  to  a  Christian  home,  and  to  service  in 
the  Church.  Still  Mv.  Tibbetts  was  unsaved. 
Intense  darkness  seemed  to  mock  his  struggle 
to  obtain  light.  He  was  conscious  all  the  while 
of  his  need  of  religion,  but  loiew  not  how  to  lay 
hold  upon  the  might  of  his  God.  But  the  de- 
cisive hour  finally  came.  Here  is  the  story  in 
his  own  words:  "The  appeals  that  came  to  me 
from  one  source  and  another  stirred  me  like  a 
trumpet  blast,  and  I  at  last  decided  to  give  my- 
self without  reserve  to  God,  and  so  I  did.  In 
the  evening  of  the  first  of  January,  1857,  wdfe 
and  I  erected  the  family  altar,  and  there  in  the 

224 


M.    L.    TIBBETTS 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

quiet  of  our  own  home  we  knelt  together  in 
earnest,  sincere  prayer,  and  while  thus  before 
the  throne, 

'God  came  down  our  souls  to  greet, 
And  glory  crowned  the  mercy  seat.' 

Then  came  to  each  of  our  hearts  the  sweet 
assurance  that  we  w^ere  accepted  in  the  'person 
of  the  beloved.'  Yes,  saved !  Glory  to  His  name 
forever.  The  experience  of  that  hour,  that  sacred, 
hallowed  spot,  can  never  be  forgotten.  It  was 
all  too  good  to  keep ;  so  after  an  early  breakfast 
the  next  morning,  and  a  precious  season  of 
prayer,  I  got  on  my  horse  and  rode  from  house 
to  house  among  my  neighbors  to  tell  them  Svhat 
a  dear  Savior  I  had  found,'  and  to  make  right 
any  wrong  I  might  have  done  to  any  one." 

This  was  a  good  start  for  a  new  convert,  and 
his  witnessing  continued  until  a  genuine  revival 
spirit  was  awakened  in  the  community. 

The  Minnesota  Conference  was  organized  by 
Bishop  Lewis  Davis  at  Marion,  Olmstead 
County,  on  the  fifth  of  August,  1857.  The  body 
was  made  up  of  four  preachers — John  Haney, 
Edmund  Clow,  John  Merrill,  and  J.  W.  Fulker- 
son.  Young  Tibbetts  was  there  as  a  visitor,  and, 
though  not  yet  a  quarterly  conference  preacher, 
was  assigned  to  Austin  Mission — a  charge  that 
could  not  well  be  defined  except  that  it  embraced 
large  portions  of  two  counties — Mower  and 
Freeborn.  He  did  not  have  a  single  organization 

225 


Our  Heroes^  or 

to  start  with,  and  no  support  guaranteed  except 
an  appropriation  of  one  hundred  dollars  from 
the  missionary  board.  A  few  weeks  later  he  re- 
ceived license  from  a  quarterly  conference  held 
by  Presiding  Elder  Fulkerson.  It  was  now  time 
to  go  to  his  charge,  but  he  hesitated.  His  lack  of 
preparation  for  the  high  and  holy  work  of  the 
ministry  had  already  given  him  much  concern. 
Like  every  other  3^oung  man  who  yearns  for 
success,  he  had  high  ideals,  and  was  anxious 
that  those  ideals  be  realized  in  his  own  life.  So 
after  mature  deliberation  he  resigned  his  field 
and  started  for  Western  College.  His  brother 
in  Iowa  had  promised  to  see  him  through  school, 
but  the  financial  stringency  of  that  period  was 
on  and  the  i>romised  help  could  not  be  given.  So 
there  he  was.  Pie  had  some  land  of  his  own,  but 
nothing  could  be  realized  on  it.  He  could  neither 
get  back  home  nor  go  on  to  college. 

But  he  must  do  something,  and  soon  entered 
into  evangelistic  work  with  one  of  his  brethren. 
No,r  were  his  labors  in  vain.  One  hundred  souls 
were  saved  that  winter  in  the  meetings  he  held. 
Speaking  of  his  work  and  worry  he  says  :  "While 
in  the  work  I  felt  happy  and  satisfied,  but  when 
the  meetings  were  over,  and  I  found  myself 
without  employment,  with  a  precious  wife  and 
babe  to  support,  and  Satan  at  my  elbow  deriding 
me  for  making  a  fool  of  myself,  I  became  de- 
spondent. Oh,  how  dark  the  way  seemed  before 
me!  I  determined  to  quit  the  field,  but  kept  my 

226 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

own  counsel.  Only  my  wife  knew  of  my  bitter 
disappointments."-  For  weeks  and  weeks  the 
awful  conflict  continued.  The  question  of  his 
life-work  had  to  be  settled.  He  could  not  live 
under  such  stress,  and  in  the  midst  of  such  un- 
certainty. Finally  he  cried  out,  "Oh,  my  dear 
Lord  and  Master,  I  cannot  endure  this  darkness 
longer."  And  there,  with  his  face  in  the  very 
dust,  he  heard  a  voice  within  wiiich  seemed  as 
distinct  as  if  external  and  audible,  w^hich  said : 
"Returni  at  once  to  Minnesota,  and  take  up  the 
work  that  is  awaiting  you.  Apply  yourself  to 
your  books,  and  especially  to  the  Bible;  make 
the  best  of  your  present  opportunities,  be  faith- 
ful to  duty,  and  leave  the  results  with  God." 
And  out  of  his  deepest  heart  he  replied,  "Lord, 
by  thy  help  I  will."  This  trying,  triumphant 
experience  occurred  during  a  quarterly  meeting 
he  w^as  attending,  and  with  his  rise  out  of  dis- 
couragement and  seeming  defeat  came  also  a 
victory  for  the  Church,  as  quite  a  number  of 
sinners   were   saved   to  God. 

Upon  his  return  to  Minnesota  he  almost  imme- 
diately began  a  revival  at  the  home  of  a  Mr. 
Madison  Kingsley,  which  resulted  most  gra- 
ciously. A  class  of  twenty-four  members  was 
formed,  and  likewise  the  nucleus  around  which 
to  build  a  circuit. 

The  next  annual  conference  was  held  at  Pres- 
ton, Fillmore  County,  August  20,  1858.  Bishop 
Davis  again  presided.    Mr.  Tibbetts  was  present 

227 


Our  Heroes,  or 

and  joined,  and  was  sent  to  Pine  Creek  Mission. 
The  new  field  was  seventy  miles  long,  and 
embraced  quite  a  number  of  appointments. 
Though  the  field  was  large,  and  the  work  taxing, 
it  was  not  very  productive  of  ministerial  support. 
Outside  of  the  flOO.OO  appropriated  by  the  mis- 
sion board,  the  people  out  of  their  poverty  added 
sixty-five  dollars.  He  says:  "Of  course,  this 
was  not  enough  to  support  us,  but  we  lived  near 
the  Whitewater  stream  where  fish  were  plentiful 
and  easily  taken,  so  our  meat  was  sure.  But  to 
obtain  other  provisions  and  clothing  required 
money.  I  got  a  few  weeks'  work  during  harvest 
time  which  helped  us  along. 

When  spring  came  we  were  almost  barefoot, 
and  no  money  with  which  to  buy  the  greatly 
needed  foot-wear.  I  was  not  a  shoemaker,  but 
determined  to  try  my  hand  at  the  business.  But 
what  about  material?  Well,  I  used  my  old  boot 
tops  for  vami3S  and  quarters,  and  my  saddle- 
skirts  for  soles.  I  made  my  own  lasts  and 
pegs,  and  invested  twenty-five  cents  in  a  kit  of 
tools.  The  job  was  by  no  means  a  failure.  The 
shoes  looked  pretty  respectable,  after  all,  con- 
sidering the  country  and  times  in  which  they 
were  worn." 

He  held  revivals  at  five  different  places  lasting 
three  weeks  each,  and  received  into  the  fold 
sixty  new  members. 

It  was  during  this  year  that  he  undertook  to 
carry  a  Sabbath-school  library  of  one  hundred 

228 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

books,  Avliicli  a  friend  had  given  to  a  needy 
school  sixty  miles  distant.  They  were  in  a  grain 
bag,  fifty  in  each  end,  and  strapped  onto  the  rear 
of  his  saddle.  All  went  well  nntil  in  the  after- 
noon when  a  dashing  rain  storm  overtook  him. 
As  no  shelter  was  in  sight,  and  he  had  neither 
nmbrella  nor  raincoat,  he  spread  his  saddle- 
blanket  over  a  little  gopher  mound,  put  the  bag 
of  books  on  the  blanket,  placed  the  saddle  over 
the  bag,  and  then  sat  down  on  the  saddle  and  let 
it  rain.  The  precious  trust  committed  to  him 
had  to  be  cared  for  and  protected,  no  matter 
what  happened  to  himself  or  to  his  belongings. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  he  kept  the  books  intact,  and 
delivered  them  in  good  condition  to  the  needy 
school.  Quite  a  load  for  so  long  a  jaunt,  but  the 
painstaking  pastor  was  amply  rewarded  in  the 
thought  that  he  had  carried  food  to  many  a 
craving  mind  and  hungry  heart. 

The  next  year  Mr.  Tibbetts  was  transferred 
to  Richland  Circuit,  where  he  Avas  cordially 
received,  and  where  he  spent  two  years  as  pastor. 
A  constant  revival  prevailed  at  nearly  all  his 
appointments,  and  over  one  hundred  accessions 
were  reported. 

In  1861  he  attended  a  camp  meeting.  As  was 
usual  in  those  days  a  tough  set  of  fellows  also 
appeared  upon  the  scene.  "Satan  came  also." 
One  evening  the  rascals  tried  to  take  possession 
of  the  grounds,  but  several  of  the  campers, 
headed  by  the  brave  Tibbetts,  started  after  them. 

229 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Like  the  cowards  they  were,  they  took  to  their 
heels  and  sought  shelter  in  the  woods.  But  the 
parson  singled  out  his  man  and  finally  captured 
him.  His  name  was  Jack  Palmer,  and  the  leader 
of  the  outlaws.  As  he  was  being  \ed  back  to 
camp  he  attacked  his  captor,  but  the  preacher 
immediately  collared  him,  and  for  a  time  shut 
off  his  breathing.  After  that  he  became  quite 
tractable,  went  to  the  magistrate,  begged  for 
mercy,  and  was  allowed,  on  the  promise  of  good 
behavior,  to  go  free.  He  was  not  seen  any  more 
in  that  section. 

Thirty  years  later  the  preacher  one  day 
entered  a  car  and  took  a  seat  opposite  a  man  and 
his  wife.  The  gentleman  immediately  arose, 
extended  his  hand,  and  called  him  by  name. 
Said  Mr.  Tibbetts,  "You  have  the  advantage  of 
me,  though  your  face  looks  somewhat  familiar." 
"My  name  is  Palmer,"  said  the  man — "Jack 
Palmer,  the  fellow  you  choked  at  the  camp 
meeting."  Then  his  wife  chimed  in :  "Yes,  and 
it  made  a  man  of  him,  too.  We  are  both  Chris- 
tians now,  and  have  been  for  many  years." 

While  the  program  adopted  by  the  young 
pioneer  itinerant  worked  well  in  the  particular 
case  of  Jack  Palmer,  it  is  not  a  very  safe  one  to 
follow  in  an  effort  to  restrain  men  from  vice, 
except  on  extraordinary  occasions. 

In  September  of  1863,  Mr.  Tibbetts  was  made 
presiding  elder,  and  continued  five  years  in  the 
office.     He  had  charge  of  the  entire  conference 

230 


United  Brethren  Hemic  Missioniiries 

district  which  embraced  a  territory  three  hun- 
dred miles  square.  These  great  distances  were 
traveled  on  horseback,  as  there  were  no  railroads 
in  the  State.  At  times  he  was  absent  from 
his  family  eight  weeks,  hearing  but  little, 
if  anything,  from  them.  His  entire  support 
averaged  |400.00  a  year.  This  was  by  no  means 
sufficient  to  meet  his  expenses  in  a  country  of 
long  winters  and  high  prices,  hence  he  was  com- 
pelled to  borrow  money  at  the  close  of  each  year 
to  pay  his  outstanding  obligations. 

In  1868  he  took  charge  of  Eyota  Circuit  and 
remained  its  pastor  three  years.  Here  his  sup- 
port was  better,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  little  rental 
money  received  from  a  piece  of  land,  he  dis- 
charged all  his  financial  obligations. 

The  first  year  he  spent  one  hundred  and  nine 
days,  less  four,  in  revivals.  About  two  hundred 
were  converted,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty 
united  with  the  church.  During  his  pastorate 
here  he  secured  to  the  charge  two  church-houses 
and  a  parsonage. 

As  a  temperance  advocate  and  reformer  Rev. 
Mr.  Tibbetts  was  strong  and  courageous,  and 
won  the  confidence  and  sympathy  of  the  best 
people  of  the  country.  His  courage  and  ability 
as  a  platform  speaker  led  the  people  to  nominate 
him  for  the  legislature  in  1872.  He  was  elected, 
and  consequently,  for  a  time,  served  in  a  special 
way  both  his  country  and  his  Church, 

231 


Our  Heroes^  or 

Twice  while  presiding  elder  he  was  lost  in  the 
storms  and  had  his  face  and  feet  frozen.  But  he 
kept  on  in  his  work.  God's  man  is  always 
invincible.  Though  he  may  be  hindered  for  a 
while,  he  is  never  defeated.  "This  is  the  victory 
that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith." 

Mr.  Tibbetts  relates  a  peculiar  circumstance 
which  occurred  at  one  of  his  quarterlies  in  1877, 
near  Horseshoe  Lake.  He  preached  at  night  in 
a  schoolhouse  without  any  light  except  a  tallow 
candle.  This  enabled  him  to  read  his  text  and 
announce  his  hymn  by  holding  the  candle  in  his 
hand ;  but,  of  course,  no  one  else  could  see,  nor 
could  he  recognize  any  one  in  the  audience. 
During  the  sermon  he  heard  some  one  sobbing, 
but  supposed  at  the  time  that  it  was  a  child.  At 
the  close  of  the  sermon,  he  said :  "If  there  is 
any  one  here  who  desires  salvation,  I  wish  you 
would  come  forward  and  give  me  your  hand.  It 
is  dark,  I  know,  but  maybe  we  can  help  you  into 
the  light."  The  call  was  not  fruitless.  A  young 
man  pushed  his  way  to  the  front,  professed  con- 
version, joined  the  church,  received  baptism  the 
next  day  in  Horseshoe  Lake,  and  soon  thereafter 
entered  the  ministry,  and  now  for  a  third  of  a 
century  has  been  a  faithful,  earnest,  eloquent 
herald  of  the  Cross,  having  led,  during  these 
years,  many  scores  and  hundreds  to  his  Lord. 
Rev.  IT.  A.  Cook  is  the  brother. 

Mr.  Tibbetts  remained  a  member  of  the  Min- 
nesota Conference  thirty-nine  years,  prominent 

232 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

in  all  its  councils,  and  excelled  by  none  in  the 
hardships  endured  and  the  services  rendered. 
He  was  honored  seven  quadrenniums  with  mem- 
bership in  the  General  Conference,  where  he 
ably  and  faithfully  served  his  people,  and  where 
his  deliberation,  business  acumen,  and  leadership 
were  recognized  by  all. 

In  1897  he  transferred  to  Iowa  Conference, 
where  he  served  the  Church  well  and  faithfully 
for  a  number  of  3^ears,  His  home  at  this  time  is 
at  Whittier,  California,  Avhere  he  enjoys  the 
fellowship  and  confidence  of  all  the  brethren. 
He  writes:  "I  am  sure  that  my  life  has  seemed 
tame  and  uneventful.  I  am  sorry  that  I  have 
not  been  more  faithful  and  efficient;  but  the 
record  has  been  made,  and  the  result  must  be 
left  with  Him.  I  am  now  seventy-seven  years 
old,  and  will  gladly  toil  on  till  my  deliverer 
comes,  Amen.     Happy  in  the  Lord  every  day." 


233 


CHAPTER  XVL 
JAMES  L.  HENSLEY. 

An  Extended  Mountaineer  Experience. 

"Honor  to  whom  lionor  is  due."  If  tlie  facts 
of  history  are  to  be  written,  then  those  who 
were  prominent  in  making  that  history  must 
sooner  or  later  be  given  their  rightful  places  in 
its  records. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  pen  the  early  annals 
of  United  Brethrenism  in  West  Virginia  without 
connecting  therewith  the  name  of  James  L. 
Hensley.  The  service  rendered,  the  hardships 
endured,  and  the  sacrifices  made  by  him  in  the 
development  of  our  denominational  life  west  of 
the  Alleghenies,  are  full  of  interest,  and  will 
give  many  a  young  preacher  a  glimpse,  such  as 
he  had  never  had  before,  of  what  it  meant  to 
itinerate  in  that  mountainous  region  back  in  the 
fifties  and  early  sixties  of  the  last  century. 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  was  born  in  Rock- 
iughaiii  County,  Virginia,  January  24,  1832. 
Like  the  vast  majority  in  that  early  day,  the 
Hensley  family  was  not  blessed  mth  a  very 
great  store  of  worldly  goods.  The  parents,  with 
their  eight  children,  were  constant  toilers  in  the 
endeavor  to  provide  an  ho-nest  living,  and  to 
maintain  a  place  of  respectability  ^niong  t^i^k 

234 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

neighbors  and  friends.  Under  such  conditions  an 
education  was  not  within  the  reach  of  every  one, 
and  but  few  ever  attempted  anything-  beyond 
tlie  ordinary  subscription  school.  James  attended 
school  only  fifty-six  daj^s  up  to  the  age  of  twelve. 
Thereafter  he  pursued  his  studies  of  evenings 
by  the  light  of  the  proverbial  "pine  knot"  burned 
in  an  old-fashioned  fireplace. 

He  was  converted  at  the  tender  age  of  eleven 
in  a  revival  held  by  Rev.  Samuel  ]Martin,  and 
thereafter,  through  all  his  boyhood  years, 
endeavored  to  faithfullj^  discharge  every  Chris- 
tian obligation  which  came  to  him  in  the  line  of 
duty. 

October  18,  1856,  at  Mount  Moriah,  Augusta 
County,  he  was  granted  quarterly  conference 
license  to  preach,  by  G.  W.  Station,  presiding 
elder,  and  Isaiah  Baltzell,  pastor  in  charge. 
Having  been  married  three  years  before,  he  at 
once  began  to  preach,  like  Paul,  "in  his  own 
house,"  which  became  a  regular  neighborhood 
meeting  place,  and  thence  he  went  out  to  other 
points  destitute  of  religious  services.  This 
lie  kept  up  for  the  next  two  and  one-half  years, 
preaching  on  Sunday  and  working  during  the 
week  to  support  his  family.  Nor  were  his  labors 
in  vain.  He  organized  classes  at  Mount  Joy, 
Muddy  Lane,  and  on  Tye  River,  and  thus  laid 
the  foundation  of  what  afterwards  became  an 
important  circuit.  All  this  indicates  that  he 
had  started  out  to  win.     If  God  called  him  to 

235 


Our  Heroes,  or 

tlie  ministry  he  must  obey.  While  he  lacked  the 
culture  of  the  college  graduate,  nevertheless, 
he  had  been  richly  endowed  by  nature  with  a 
vigorous  constitution,  a  boundless  ambition,  and 
a  will  strong  enough  to  drive  him  through  any 
opposition  which  might  get  in  the  way  of  success. 

In  addition  to  these  natural  qualifications, 
God  had  imparted  to  him  an  all-consuming  de- 
sire to  win  sinners  to  the  Cross ;  and  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  task  set  before  him  he  was 
anxious  to  give  his  whole  life. 

In  1859  he  joined  the  Virginia  Conference 
which  convened  at  Rohrersville,  Maryland.  The 
journey  thither  on  horseback  was  long  and  irk- 
some. The  spring  thaw,  after  a  severe  winter, 
had  made  the  roads  well-nigh  impassable.  Five 
days  were  required  to  make  the  distance.  Every 
now  and  then  along  the  way  a  preacher  would 
fall  in  to  swell  the  company  until  the  cavalcade 
of  heralds  numbered  a  score  or  more.  The 
monotony  of  the  trip  was  relieved  by  the  singing 
of  hymns  and  an  occasional  discussion  over 
some  doctrinal  question  that  was  anticipated  in 
the  examinations  at  conference.  On  the  fourth 
day  it  was  suggested  that  the  presiding  elder, 
Jacob  Markwood,  afterwards  Bisliop,  select  two 
or  three  of  the  younger  men  to  deliver  a  sermon 
each  to  the  croAvcl  as  they  plodded  along,  and 
accordingly  Mr.  Hensley  was  chosen  to  make 
the  first  effort.  Obeying  orders,  he  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  discourse  on  the  text,  "Quench  not  the 

236 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Spirit."  When  in  the  midst  of  his  sermon  they 
came  upon  an  old  slave  woman  who  was  chop- 
ping wood  near  her  master's  residence.  A 
brother  suggested  a  pause  until  they  had  passed 
her,  but  the  young  orator  objected  with  the 
remark,  "That  woman  wants  to  hear  preaching, 
too,"  whereupon  she  exclaimed,  "Yes,  bress  de 
Laud !  I  seldom  gits  to  heah  preachin'."  To  see 
such  a  compan}'  of  white  ministers,  and  to  hear 
the  gospel  from  the  lips  of  one  of  their  number, 
was  a  privilege  she,  perhaps,  had  never  enjoyed 
before. 

At  the  request  of  the  Bishop,  Hensley  accepted 
Lewis  Circuit,  in  the  bounds  of  Parkersburg, 
now  West  Virginia,  Conference,  which  had  been 
organized  the  year  before  out  of  the  western 
portion  of  the  old  conference.  He  at  once  made 
a  public  sale,  but  did  not  realize  very  much  for 
the  little  property  he  owned.  The  financial 
crisis  which  came  to  the  country  in  1857  was 
still  on,  hence  everything  went  at  panic  prices. 
Six  months'  credit  was  given,  but  to  get  the  cash 
a  discount  of  ten  per  cent,  was  offered. 

When  the  money  was  collected,  and  all  debts 
paid,  the  preacher  had  just  thirty  dollars  left, 
besides  a  horse  and  buggy.  The  trip  to  his  new 
field  was  an  undertaking  that  required  great 
faith  and  courage.  With  his  wife  and  three 
children  in  the  vehicle,  a  journey  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  over  the  hills  and  mountains  had 
to  be  made.    Having  sent  his  saddle,  bridle,  and 

237 


Our  Heroes,  or 

books  by  stage,  he  was  rid  of  a  part  of  the  lug- 
gage he  had  to  move.  An  average  of  twenty-five 
miles  a  day  was  making  good  time. 

But  visions  of  the  new  scene  of  toil  which 
awaited  him  hurried  the  itinerant  on.  Kindred 
ties  had  been  broken.  The  associations  of  years 
had  been  severed.  Old  friends  had  been  given 
up;  new  ones  had  to  be  made.  When  the  thirty 
dollars  were  gone,  where  would  another  like 
sum  come  from?  What  did  the  future  have  in 
store  for  them?  What  kind  of  a  reception  would 
their  new  parishioners  arrange?  No  doubt  these 
and  many  other  questions  arose  and  were  dis- 
cussed by  the  little  group;  but  the  solution  of 
such  great  problems  had  to  be  left  with  God. 

There  were  no  gorgeously  finished  and  fur- 
nished hotels  along  the  way.  If  there  had  been 
their  little  treasury  would  have  been  empty  long 
before  the  journey  was  over.  But  the  open  door 
of  every  mountain  cabin  invited  the  w^eary 
travelers  to  a  most  generous  hospitality. 

Finally,  the  circuit  was  reached,  and  on  the 
first  Sunday  morning  the  preacher  started  out 
througli  a  blinding  snow-storm  to  fill  the  three 
appointments  which  awaited  him.  A  portion  of 
the  way  lay  through  a  dense  wilderness  of  red 
brush  laden  with  snow,  but  perseverance  brought 
him  to  each  preaching  place  on  time.  In  view 
of  the  great  revivals  that  followed  during  the 
year  we  may  suppose  that  the  people  were  highly 
pleased  with  the  eloquent  young  man  who  had 

238 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

been  sent  them,  and  at  once  pledged  him  their 
sympathy  and  hearty  cooperation. 

At  first  he  decided  to  board  with  a  friend  who 
kindly  offered  to  keep  the  family  for  four  dollars 
per  week,  but  their  purse  was  soon  exhausted; 
and  as  very  little  was  coming  in,  and  debt  must 
be  avoided,  they  decided  to  rent  a  house  at  two 
dollars  per  month.  This  was  six  miles  from 
town,  and  in  the  woods.  Of  course,  but  little 
furniture  was  needed  under  the  circumstances. 
Here  the  faithful  wife  and  mother  stayed,  alone 
most  of  the  time,  through  all  the  summer  and 
dreary  winter  days  that  followed.  All  told  there 
were  seventeen  preaching  places  to  be  visited 
every  month.  One  appointment  was  located 
twenty-two  miles  from  any  other.  The  place  of 
worship  was  under  a  huge  projecting  rock  which 
afforded  shelter  for  a  good-sized  congregation  in 
time  of  storm.  Here  he  preached  every  four 
weeks  on  Monday  at  eleven  o'clock.  Years  after- 
ward a  small  house  of  worship  was  erected  near 
the  place  which  has  ever  since  been  known  as 
"Indian  Camp"  Church.  During  his  revival  at 
this  point  every  unconverted  person  for  miles 
around,  who  could  be  gotten  to  the  meeting,  was 
reached  and  saved. 

The  vrork  of  the  year  was  most  gratifying. 
Over  one  hundred  souls  were  led  up  into  the  new 
life,  and  ninety-seven  entered  tli?e  communion  of 
the  Church.  All  over  the  vast  field,  from  cabin, 
schoolhouse,  and  grove,  the  shout  of  a  conquer- 

239 


Our  Heroes  J  or 

ing  faith  was  heard,  and  news  of  militant 
triumphs  was  carried  to  the  throne.  For  the 
services  rendered  the  pastor  received  $143.47, 
including  a  set  of  chairs  with  hickory-bark 
bottoms. 

This  old  circuit,  now  divided  into  a  half-dozen 
or  more  pastorates,  has  made  rich  contributions 
to  the  ministry'  of  the  Church.  Among  its  noble 
sons  may  be  named  E.  Harper,  S.  J.  Graham, 
S.  T.  Westfall,  R.  Wood,  J.  T.  Foster,  and  later 
the  Reeses  and  others. 

Conference  was  held  at  Glenville,  Gilmer 
County,  and  was  presided  over  by  Bishop  Gloss- 
brenner.  Here  Mr.  Hensley  was  ordained,  and, 
to  the  disappointment  of  himself  and  people,  was 
sent  to  another  field — Taylor  Circuit — which 
embraced  twenty-seven  appointments  scattered 
over  portions  of  Taylor,  Barbour,  Harrison, 
Upshur,  and  Randolph  counties.  This  was  a 
hard  year,  to  be  followed  by  others  more  trying 
to  the  preacher  and  Church.  The  great  civil 
strife  was  on.  Lowering  war  clouds  could  be 
seen  evoryv>here.  Political  lines  were  being 
sharply  drawn,  not  infrequently  separating 
members  of  the  same  family,  and  arousing  the 
most  bitter  antagonisms. 

Under  such  conditions  it  was  very  difficult  to 
promote  revivals.  The  most  that  could  be  done 
was  to  maintain  unity  among  our  people,  and 
hold  them  to  the  Church.  The  Religious  Tele- 
scope was  under  a  ban  because  of  its  anti-slavery 

240 


JAMES    L.    HENSLEY 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

utterances,  and  so  was  ordered  burned.  How- 
ever, the  postmaster  at  Peel  Tree,  Barbour 
County,  near  which  place  the  preacher  lived, 
was  friendly  to  him,  and  permitted  him  to 
secretly  read  it  in  the  office.  Then  it  was  turned 
over  to  a  drunken  magistrate  and  committed  to 
the  flames. 

That  a  man  would  have  varied  and  dangerous 
experiences  in  traveling  so  large  a  territory  is 
easily  imagined.  An  all-night  journey  through 
the  mountains  occasionally  had  to  be  made,  and 
angry  streams  frequently  had  to  be  forded,  or 
crossed  in  some  wa3^  According  to  Mr.  Hen- 
sley's  plan  this  year  he  preached  at  Grafton  in 
the  morning,  and  at  Webster,  six  miles  distant, 
in  the  afternoon.  The  Valley  River  was  the 
chief  obstacle  in  his  way.  It  was  deep  and  full 
of  treacherous  eddies.  Sometimes  in  crossing  it 
he  had  to  get  upon  his  knees  in  the  saddle  and 
carry  his  saddle-bags  on  his  shoulder  to  keep 
them  out  of  the  water.  If  the  stream  seemed  too 
dangerous  to  thus  ford,  he  would  walk  across 
the  railroad  bridge  and  have  some  one  make  his 
horse  swim  to  the  opposite  shore,  where  he  would 
be  ready  to  mount  him  again  and  pursue  his 
journey. 

It  was  while  crossing  one  of  these  mountain 
streams  that  an  itinerant  of  the  conference  in 
later  years  was  thrown  from  his  horse,  and  being 
unable  to  swim,  sank  to  the  bottom,  but  was 
plucky  enough  to  crawl  to  shore.     The  brother 

241 


Our  Heroes,  or 

is  still  living,  and  carries  with  him  an  abiding 
gratitude  to  God  for  the  special  deliverance. 

Away  back  in  pioneer  days  a  little  Methodist 
church,  courageous  and  determined  to  win,  T\Tote 
the  bishop  at  conference,  saying,  "Send  us  a 
preacher  next  year  who  can  swim.  The  one  you 
sent  us  last  year  got  drowned  as  he  was  trying 
to  get  over  the  river  to  our  appointment."  Yes, 
to  understand  the  art  of  swimming  was  impor- 
tant to  the  missionary,  for  he  was  often  placed 
where  he  was  compelled  to  swim  or  go  down. 
Persons  unused  to  such  long  itineraries,  under 
circumstances  so  testing,  can  have  but  little  idea 
as  to  the  dangers  encountered  and  the  suffering 
involved.  Well  may  the  Church  to-day  revere 
the  memory  of  those  who  thus  dared  and  sacri- 
ficed to  make  possible  the  heritage  which  is  ours 
to  enjoy.  For  the  year's  work  the  pioneer  was 
paid  1102.00  salary,  with  a  few  additional 
presents. 

The  next  annual  gathering  of  the  ministers 
was  held  at  Union,  in  Mason  County,  and  the 
entire  distance — one  hundred  and  fifty  miles — 
was  made  on  horseback.  However,  as  was  the 
custom  in  those  days,  preaching  services  were 
held  here  and  there  along  the  way,  which  made 
the  journey  less  fatiguing  to  the  itinerant,  and 
a  season  of  special  interest  to  the  people  who 
chanced  to  hear  them. 

The  conference  divided  the  Taylor  charge  and 
returned  Mr.  Hensley  to  the  north  end.     When 

242 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

he  reached  the  town  of  Phillippi,  the  real  center 
of  his  work,  he  found  two  palmetto  flags  waving 
over  it,  one  from  the  court  house,  and  the  other 
from  a  pole  which  had  floated  the  stars  and 
stripes  a  few  months  before.  The  country  was 
wild  with  excitement.  Southern  troops  were 
stationed  at  two  of  the  appointments.  Scouting 
bands  were  in  evidence  on  all  sides.  To  fill  his 
engagements  the  preacher  frequently  had  to 
evade  the  pickets  by  taking  byways  unknown  to 
them. 

The  first  regular  battle  after  the  fall  of 
Sumter  was  fought  at  Phillippi,  June  second  of 
this  year.  When  the  Confederates  were  forced 
back  to  Laurel  Hill,  they  captured  Rev.  J.  Z. 
Williams,  pastor  of  Randolph  Mission;  but 
through  the  timely  intercession  of  Lieutenant  J. 
C.  Cline,  who  afterwards  became  a  United 
Brethren  minister,  the  missionary  was  released 
and  soon  thereafter  fled  with  his  family  to  Ohio. 
Later  Lieutenant  Cline  was  captured  by  the 
Union  soldiers,  but  secured  his  liberty  through 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Hensley  and  other  United 
Brethren  ministers. 

Before  the  blood  had  disappeared  from  the 
battlefield  at  Laurel  Hill,  Mr.  Hensley  passed 
over  it  and  took  charge  of  Randolph  Mission, 
which  had  been  previously  detached  from  his 
circuit.  Thus  he  had  for  the  remainder  of  the 
year  twenty-seven  appointments  again.  For  this 
extra  service  he  received  eighteen  dollars  from 

243 


Our  Heroes,  or 

the  people,  and  five  dollars  from  the  conference. 
The  other  end  paid  him  sixty  dollars,  plus 
twenty-eight  dollars  received  for  preaching  for 
the  Second  West  Virginia  Regiment,  while  in 
camp.  His  real  service  to  the  soldiers  is  attested 
by  the  fact  that  a  number  of  them  were  converted 
under  his  ministry. 

It  is  most  difficult,  at  this  distance  from  such 
scenes,  to  appreciate  the  dangers  and  hardships 
to  which  our  faithful  men  were  exposed,  and  we 
are  liable  to  attach  too  little  importance  to  what 
they  did  to  save  the  Church  from  utter  ruin.  At 
one  time  there  was  not  a  preacher  within  the 
vast  field  just  described,  except  the  intrepid 
Hensley.  He  saw  none  of  his  brethren  from 
April  until  the  next  March,  When  conference 
met  at  Centerville,  Tyler  County,  it  seemed  that 
but  a  handful  was  left.  Just  nine  answered  at 
roll-call.  In  the  absence  of  a  Bishop  they  pro- 
ceeded with  the  conference  business,  and  planned 
as  best  they  could  for  another  year. 

Here  the  iron  wheel  of  the  itinerancy  turned 
again,  and  Hensley  was  appointed  to  Middle 
Island  Circuit,  in  the  bounds  of  which  the  con- 
ference had  met.  Returning  home,  he  loaded  up 
his  household  effects  in  a  two-horse  wagon, 
hauled  them  several  miles  to  the  railroad,  and 
shipped  to  West  Union.  The  remainder  of  the 
journey,  twelve  miles,  was  made  in  another 
wagon.  When  almost  in  sight  of  the  parsonage, 
the  only  one  in  the  conference  at  that  time,  a 

244 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

most  serious  accident  occurred.  A  landslide 
having  made  the  road  impassable,  it  was  decided 
to  ferry  the  goods  over  Middle  Island  Creek  on 
a  gunnel — the  body  of  a  large  poplar  tree  flat- 
tened on  both  sides.  But  as  a  friend,  who  had 
volunteered  his  help,  was  turning  the  craft,  it 
upset  and  tumbled  the  entire  household  stock — 
cook  stove,  utensils,  squirrel  rifle,  furniture,  and 
boxes — into  the  water,  which  was  very  deep  at 
the  time.  A  part  of  the  furniture  was  at  once 
recovered,  but  the  stove  and  its  belongings  were 
not  found  until  low  water  came.  The  bed-clothes 
were  soon  dried,  a  stove  temporarily  supplied, 
and  in  a  few  days  the  pastor's  family  were  at 
home  in  their  new  quarters. 

On  this  circuit  there  were  sixteen  preaching 
places — not  as  many  as  he  had  been  used  to — but 
certainly  enough  to  occupy  the  time  and  strength 
of  any  ordinary  mortal.  Here  he  remained  three 
years,  making  Centerville  headquarters.  The 
support  for  the  entire  period  aggregated  |422.85, 
or  a  yearly  average  of  |140.95.  But,  notwith- 
standing the  disturbed  state  of  the  country, 
sweeping  revivals  were  held  at  various  points. 
Men  who  had  never  given  religion  a  serious 
thought  were  reached  through  pastoral  visita- 
tion and  won  to  the  Church.  His  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  his  courageous  leadership,  his 
readiness  as  a  platform  speaker,  and  the  evan- 
gelistic note  in  all  his  preaching,  made  him 
popular  and  influential,  and  won  encomiums 
on  every  hand. 

245 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Middle  Island  Circuit  has  been  called  the 
"Mother  of  Preachers."  From  the  territory  then 
embraced  came  J.  C.  Jones,  A.  L.  Moore,  J.  I.  L. 
Ankron,  A.  Orr,  William  Weekley,  Sr.,  G.  W. 
Weekley,  E.  M.  Hite,  C.  AV.  Westfall,  C.  H.  Cox, 
I.  M.  Underwood,  Isaac  Davis,  W.  M.  Weekley, 
G.  H.  Devol,  E.  H.  Waters,  M.  L.  Weekley,  and 
others,  perhaps,  whose  names  are  not  now  re- 
called. Of  this  number  nine  belonged  to  Fair- 
view  class. 

The  conference  of  1865  returned  Mr.  Hensley 
to  Lewis  Circuit,  where  he  had  spent  his  first 
year  after  transferring  from  the  old  conference. 
In  moving  to  this  charge  he  adopted  a  new 
method  which  made  him  feel  somewhat  inde- 
pendent. He  borrowed  a  wagon,  two  sets  of 
harness,  and  a  horse  to  work  alongside  his  own, 
and  thus  made  the  journey  of  thirty-three  miles. 
All  his  household  effects  were  moved  in  the  one 
wagon,  and  still  there  was  room  for  his  wife  and 
three  smaller  children.  The  cow  and  pet  pig 
were  driven  by  the  older  boys.  When  the  family 
had  been  located  in  the  log  cabin,  where  they 
were  to  spend  the  year,  Mr.  Hensley  drove  the 
wagon  back  to  its  owner,  and  returned  home 
again  on  his  own  horse. 

J.  C.  Morris  was  his  assistant  for  the  year, 
and  the  two  together  received  |260.00.  They 
kept  up  twenty-eight  appointments. 

The  subjoined  list  of  his  preaching  places  for 
the  year  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader : 

246 


United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

First  Week — Right-hand  Fork  of  Freemans 
Creek,  Saturday,  7 :  00  p.m.  ;  Freemans  Creek 
Church,  Sunday,  10:00  a.m.;  Polk  Creek,  3:00 
P.M. ;  Weston,  7 :  00  p.m.  ;  Big  Fink,  Monday, 
10  :  00  A.M. ;  Walnut  Fork,  7 :  00  p.m.  ;  Upper  Big 
Fink,  Tuesday,  7 :  00  p.m.  ;  Little  Fink,  Wednes- 
day, 7 :  00  P.M. 

Second  Week— Big  Skin  Creek,  Sunday,  10:00 
A.M. ;  Sand  Fork,  3  :  00  p.m.  ;  Walkersvilie,  7:  00 
P.M. ;  Little  Kanawha,  Monday,  7 :  00  P.M. ; 
Union  Hill,  Tuesday,  3 :  00  p.m.  ;  Spanish  Grove, 
7:00  p.m. 

Third  Week— Stone  Coal,  Saturday,  7  :  30 
p.m.  ;  Maxons,  Sunday,  10  :  00  a.m.  ;  Cozads,  3  :  00 
P.M.;  Buckhannon  Mountain,  7:  00  p.m. 

Fourth  Week — Buckhannon,  Friday,  7  :  00 
p.m.;  Shrieves  Church,  Saturday,  7:00  p.m.; 
Mount  Washington,  Sunday,  10:00  a.m.;  Sand 
Run,  3:00  p.m.;  Enoch  Cutright's,  7:00  p.m.; 
Indian  Camp,  Monday,  10 :  00  a.m.  ;  Waterloo, 
3 :  00  P.M. ;  French  Creek,  7 :  00  p.m.  ;  Sago, 
Tuesday,  7 :  00  p.m. 

But  the  financial  strain  was  too  great.  It  was 
impossible  to  support  his  family  on  the  little 
received,  so  he  took  up  the  practice  of  medicine 
in  connection  with  his  ministerial  duties,  and  to 
some  extent  supplemented  what  the  circuit  paid. 
At  the  end  of  the  year  the  work  was  divided,  and 
he  was  given  the  part  called  Upshur  Circuit ;  but 
in  the  fall,  yielding  to  the  inevitable,  he  resigned 
and  entered  a  medical   college  in   Cincinnati, 

247 


Our  Heroes,  or 

Ohio,  where  he  graduated  with  honors  February 
17,  1867,  ranking  third  in  a  class  of  twenty-eight. 
This  step  Avas  not  taken  because  he  wanted  to 
give  up  the  ministry,  but  rather  because  he  was 
anxious  to  stay  in  it,  and  thus  sought  the  finan- 
cial aid  that  would  make  such  a  course  possible. 

Returning  home  he  was  appointed  to  West 
Columbia  Circuit  the  following  March.  The 
year  was  an  exceedingly  busy  one.  In  addition 
to  his  medical  practice,  he  frequently  preached 
four  times  on  Sunday  in  the  little  towns  along 
the  Ohio  River.  For  the  twelve  months  he 
received  a  salary  of  |285.00,  being  the  largest 
compensation  that  had  ever  come  to  his  ministry 
in  any  one  year. 

After  this  he  continued  for  many  years  in  the 
pastorate  doing  enough  medical  work  to  insure 
a  support  for  his  large  family,  but  he  made  the 
ministry  first,  and  allowed  no  interest  committed 
to  him  to  suffer.  lie  was  devotedly  loyal  to  his 
Church,  a  staunch  defender  of  her  doctrines, 
and  a  leader  in  all  matters  of  moral  reform. 

In  1870,  death's  dark  pall  fell  upon  his  home 
and  claimed  as  its  victim  the  wife  and  mother 
who  had  been  so  much  to  the  itinerant  and  his 
family.  Later,  however,  Mrs.  Katherine  B. 
Bumgarner  joined  him  in  the  responsibility  of 
the  home,  became  a  mother  to  his  children,  and 
a  very  great  blessing  to  the  Church  to  which  he 
was  giving  his  life. 

He  was  once  elected  to  the  legislature  in  West 
Virginia,  and  once  represented  his  county  in  the 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

Ohio  assembly.  His  home  at  present  is  in 
Marion,  Oliio,  where  he  has  lived  a  number  of 
years,  and  from  which  point  he  has  served  sev- 
eral pastoral  charges  in  connection  with  his 
work  as  a  physician. 

He  is  now  eighty  years  old,  but  full  of  youth- 
ful animation  and  hope.  Here  is  his  message — 
his  last  message — to  the  Church :  "As  I  stand 
by  my  eightieth  milestone  and  look  back  over 
life's  journey,  I  can  see  how  little  I  have  done 
compared  with  what  I  might  have  accomplished. 
My  mistakes  have  been  many.  What  I  have 
achieved  in  the  Church  has  been  through  the 
help  of  grace,  and  to  God  be  all  the  glory !  The 
day  is  almost  over,  but  I  am  sure  of  a  golden 
sunset.  The  way  is  clear.  I  believe  the  Bible 
with  a  confidence  unshaken.  The  doctrines  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  I  think,  express 
fully  and  clearly  the  great  plan  of  God  in  saving 
men.  I  am  anxious  that  our  ministers  continue 
to  proclaim  the  fundamentals  as  taught  by  the 
fathers,  and  to  make  soul-winning  of  first  impor- 
tance. I  hope  to  join  all  my  colaborers  in  the 
gospel  by  and  by  when  the  crowning  time  comes. 
Amen." 


249 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CONSERVATION  OP  OUR  RESOURCES. 

It  is  said  that  when  a  company  of  pilgrims 
came  in  sight  of  Wittenberg,  they  uncovered 
their  heads,  and  thanked  God  for  the  power  that 
had  gone  ont  from  the  old  city  and  kindled  the 
fires  of  the  Reformation.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  stand  at  the  birthplace  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church,  with  a.  knowledge  of  its  seiwice  to 
humanity,  the  measure  of  which  can  never  be 
adequately  estimated  "until  the  books  are 
opened,"  in  order  to  experience  a  like  thrill  of 
pride  and  gratitude.  The  picture  is  akin  to  that 
of  Ezekiel's  life-giving  stream,  flowing  forth 
with  increasing  might  and  majesty,  and  trans- 
forming deserts  into  gardens. 

All  honor  to  the  fathers!  The  value  of  the 
heritage  they  have  left  us  is  beyond  human 
estimate.  Earthly  rewards  they  sought  not. 
They  asked  no  marble  shaft  for  their  resting 
place,  and,  indeed,  many  of  their  graves  are  un- 
marked. But  their  work  abides,  for  which  they 
deserve  to  live  in  hallowed  memory  forever. 
The  Church  cannot  afford  to  forget  her  heroic, 
historic  past.  Those  who  accomplish  most  in 
the  world's  to-day,  and  have  largest  hopes  for  to- 
morrow, are  least  unmindful  of  the  achieve- 
ments of  yesterday.  It  is  essential  to  the  de- 
velopment of  denominational   life  and  loyalty 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

that  the  story  of  the  heroism  of  the  fathers 
occupy  a  prominent  place  in  the  literature  of 
the  Church. 

But  the  supreme  tribute  that  the  fathers 
merit  at  our  hands,  is  the  conservation  and 
proper  use  of  the  heritage  they  left  us.  The  past 
and  the  future  hold  us  responsible  for  building 
worthily  upon  the  foundations  they  laid.  We 
cannot  measure  up  to  the  tremendous  responsi- 
bilities of  the  present  by  quoting  the  successes 
of  the  past.  If  we  are  to  make  proper  use  of  the 
opportunities  which  face  us,  we  must  do  vastly 
better  to-day  and  to-morrow  than  we  did  yester- 
day. We  are  in  a  new  world.  New  conditions, 
new  problems,  new  adjustments,  and  new  diffi- 
culties su:rround  us.  The  kind  of  service  we 
gave  yesterday  will  not  win  to-day.  We  must 
aim  higher,  build  larger,  run  faster,  and  strike 
harder  than  we  have  done  before.  The  call  is 
not  to  do  precisely  what  the  fathers  did,  but 
rather  what  they  would  do  were  they  in  our 
places.  The  man  who  stands  closest  the  United 
Brethren  fathers  is  not  the  man  who  slavishly 
imitates  their  methods,  but  rather  he  who  catches 
their  spirit — the  spirit  of  spiritual  pioneering — 
and  with  that  spirit  interprets  the  new  day,  and 
does  his  work  in  the  light  of  the  new  interpreta- 
tion of  man  and  God. 

In  changing  our  vision  from  a  splendid  past 
to  an  urgent  future,  from  history  to  opportunity, 
it  must  be  apparent  to  all  who  have  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Church  at  heart,  that  her  immediate 

251 


Oitr  Heroes,  or 

and  urgent  duty  is  to  provide  for  a  better  con- 
servation of  her  resources.  We  are  confronted 
by  a  condition  tliat  would  seem  to  be  nothing 
short  of  a  denominational  crisis.  During  the 
past  year  our  mighty  army — three  hundred 
thousand  strong,  generaled  by  four  bishops, 
captained  by  fifty  district  superintendents,  offi- 
cered by  twenty-five  hundred  preachers,  and  at 
an  expenditure  of  two  and  one-half  million 
dollars,  and  an  untabulated  amount  of  time, 
energy,  and  intellect — won  more  than  twenty- 
five  thousand  souls  to  Christ  and  the  Church. 
A  splendid  achievement,  returns  which  abund- 
antly justif}^  the  expenditure  of  outlay.  But  the 
measure  in  which  the  Church  succeeded  in  con- 
serving this  mighty  army  of  recruits  must  be 
altogether  unsatisfactory  to  every  lover  of  our 
Zion.  It  is  for  the  Church  tO'  put  her  energies 
into  the  decree  that  these  conditions  shall  be 
changed,  that  these  losses  shall  be  overcome  at 
any  cost,  that  the  results  of  her  labors  shall  be 
conserved,  and  press  to  the  task  with  the  optim- 
ism of  a  song. 

Why  this  failure  to  conserve  adequately  our 
gains,  and  what  is  necessary  by  way  of  read- 
justment, change  of  emphasis,  methods,  or  ad- 
ditional expenditures  to  overcome  our  losses. 
The  thought  of  the  church  must  turn  to  the  task 
of  answering  these  questions.  Every  impulse  of 
self-preservation  and  denominational  loyalty 
demands  it. 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

In  view  of  the  existing  conditions,  it  must  be 
apparent  to  all  that  the  Church  needs  a  new 
stimulus — a  need  that  may  be  stated  in  four 
parts:  We,  as  United  Brethren,  need  a  new 
optimistic  vision  of  ourselves,  a  renewed  con- 
sciousness of  our  connectionalism,  a.  more  loyal 
faith  in  and  fidelity  to  United  Brethren  ideals 
and  standards,  and  an  open  sympathy  with  the 
compassion  that  goes  out  to  save  the  lost.  In  his 
book  entitled,  "The  Empire  of  the  Christ," 
Bernard  Lucas  states  that  "it  is  not  interest  but 
passion  that  the  Church  needs. "  We  must  ex- 
pect more  from  the  Church  than  an  interest  in 
that  w^ork  of  redemption  for  which  the  Christ, 
whose  followers  we  are,  endured  the  agony  of 
Gethsemane,  and  the  heart-break  of  Calvarj^" 
Our  resources  as  a  Church  were  never  so  rich, 
our  potentialities  never  so  prophetic  as  now. 
But  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  nothing  that 
the  denomination  more  needs  to  transform  its 
present  splendid  possibilities  into  millennial 
fruitage  than  tlie  spirit  of  Newcomer  leadership 
in  all  its  high  places. 

There  is  cause  for  gratitude  that  the  material 
side  of  our  denominational  work  is  in  the  midst 
of  a  period  of  unparalleled  prosperity.  Money 
is  absolutely  essential  to  the  building  of  a  greater 
United  Brethrenism.  But  something  else  is 
equally  essential,  and  that  is  the  maintenance 
and  development  of  a  vigorous  spiritual  life.  The 
importance,  therefore,  of  placing  corresponding 
emphasis  upon  the  spiritual  side    of    our  work 

253 


Our  Heroes,  or 

must  not  be  forgotten.  With  the  splendid  spirit 
of  liberality  now  manifest,  there  must  be  a  pro- 
portionate revival  of  spiritual  life.  The  Church 
will  grow  weary  of  giving  unless  the  appeal 
comes  to  hearts  aflame  with  evangelistic  con- 
viction and  evangelistic  power.  A  true  spirit- 
uality and  piety  will  beget  in  men  benevolent 
tempers;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  benevolent 
tempers  will  beget  in  men  spirituality  and  piety. 

The  casual  observer,  judging  from  present- 
day  emphasis,  would  most  likely  conclude  that 
money-raising  has  become  the  real  standard  of 
ministerial  success.  There  is  peril  in  a  change 
of  emphasis  here,  because  it  interferes  with  the 
arrangement  of  our  Lord's  progTam.  A  victo- 
rious church  will  be  deeply  and  acutely  sensible 
to  the  will  of  God.  In  this  case  it  is  unmistalv- 
ably  clear  that  she  must  put  her  emphasis  first 
on  the  redemption  of  men,  on  the  spiritual  life 
of  men,  and  unless  she  is  victorious  here,  what 
to  her  are  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  and  the 
glory  of  them.  If  the  United  Brethren  Churcli 
is  to  fulfill  her  mission  in  the  world,  she  must 
remain  a  spiritual  church.  She  must  not  de- 
pend upon  her  splendid  machinery,  but  on  the 
spirit  of  God,  and  count  on  the  Lord  of  Pente- 
cost for  victory. 

Much  will  be  aecomplished  toward  the  better 
conservation  of  our  resources,  as  it  relates  both 
to  membership  and  spirituality,  when  we  so 
correct  our  methods  as  to  shepherd  with  more 
assiduous  care  the    thousands    whom    God    is 

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United  BreAhrcn  Home  Missionaries 

annually  placing  in  our  churches.  If  the  en- 
thusiasm and  organized  effort  that  we  put  into 
our  evangelistic  services  were  continued  in  the 
equally  important  work  of  nurturing  the  new 
converts  and  training  them  for  Christian  serv- 
ice, our  losses  would  be  greatly  reduced.  To  aid 
in  the  work  of  conserving  the  fruits  of  our  re- 
vivals, there  is  a  great  field  and  a  growing  de- 
mand for  the  trained  deaconess. 

Moreover,  there  has  been  a  recklessness  on  the 
part  of  many  in  the  revision  of  church  records. 
It  has  become  so  common  that  some  ministers 
even  delight  in  the  privilege  of  "putting  them 
out,"  when  such  a  procedure,  if  it  ever  becomes 
necessary,  should  be  entered  upon  after  much 
prayer  and  every  possible  effort  to  save  them 
from  their  faults  and  to  the  Church.  The  pur- 
pose, in  some  instances,  is  to  reduce  the  confer- 
ence assessments,  which  is  un-Christlike  and 
destructive  in  its  results.  The  method  of  some 
of  our  general  departments  in  rating  a  congrega- 
tion by  the  amount  it  pays  per  capita  to  that 
special  interest,  has  also  mucli  to  do  with  the 
cutting  down  of  the  membership  of  some 
churches.  Such  methods  should  be  discarded. 
They  are  unbiblical  and  hurtful  to  the  life  and 
growth  of  the  denomination. 

There  is  need  for  a  larger  recognition  of  the 
relation  of  the  child  to  the  kingdom.  The  para- 
graphs in  our  Discipline  defining  the  status  of 
the  child  in  the  kingdom  and  in  the  Church, 
providing  methods  for  the  religious  care,  nurture, 

255 


Our  Heroes,  or 

and  training  of  the  child,  should  be  better  un- 
derstood and  more  carefully'  observed.  Even  as 
the  problem  of  citizenship  is  to  keep  each  child 
true  to  its  own  land,  rather  than  to  naturalize 
the  native  born,  so  it  is  the  work  of  the  Church 
to  keep  the  child  true  to  its  sweet  and  fresh 
allegiance  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Father.  When 
the  problem  of  properly  dealing  with  young  life, 
during  its  early  stages  of  development,  shall 
have  been  solved,  the  Church  will  enter  upon 
her  brightest  era  since  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
Yes,  the  position  of  supreme,  strategic  impor- 
tance in  our  holy  war  will  then  be  won. 

But  the  question  as  to  why  we  are  not  con- 
serving our  denominational  resources  is  largely 
answered  in  the  fact  that  tlie  bulk  of  the  mem- 
bership in  the  Church  is  confined  to  a  very  small 
section  of  our  great  country.  Pennsylvania, 
Ohio,  and  Indiana  contain  about  two-thirds  of 
the  numerical  strength  of  the  entire  denomina- 
tion. Multitudes  of  our  people  annually  join  the 
mighty  procession  of  home-seekers  to  the  great 
"West,"  where  frontier  settlements  are  being 
formed  daily,  and  into  the  cities  where  the  great 
majority  are  lost  to  the  denomination.  A 
conservative  estimate  would  place  this  number 
at  fifteen  thousand  annually,  half  the  number 
of  our  converts  in  a  year.  It  is  a  startling  fact 
that  half  the  annual  expenditures  of  the  Church 
in  money  and  service  is  lost  to  the  denomination 
because  we  are  not  providing  to  follow  those  of 
our  people  who  move  beyond  our  borders,  and 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

save  them  to  our  denomination.  Ecclesiastical 
statesmanship  has  a,  problem  here  which  is 
worthy  of  the  first  and  highest  consideration. 
Its  solution  will  determine  whether  or  not  our 
future,  as  a  denomination,  will  be  worth  while. 

There  are  three  fields  in  which  the  forces  of 
conservation  should  be  at  work  constantly,  with 
a  backing  of  men  and  means  equal  to  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  tasks — namelj^,  the  frontier,  the 
city,  and  the  unworked  places  in  occupied  ter- 
ritory. 

IMen  are  always  pushing  to  the  rim  of  secular 
activity.  Only  so  is  a  nation  built.  It  is  charged 
tliat  they  are  rolling  stones,  unstable  and  fickle ; 
it  is  sufficient  to  point  to  the  permanent  settle- 
ments and  the  high  state  of  civilization  they 
liave  established.  A  certain  boldness  and  dar- 
ing characterizes  this  advance  guard,  Avhich  is  a 
valuable  asset  of  any  good  caiuse,  particularly  of 
the  church  which  builds  upon  such  material. 

The  claim  of  the  frontier  upon  the  missionary 
spirit  of  the  Church  is  imperative  from  three 
considerations:  First,  the  denomination  must 
conserve  her  contributions  to  the  development 
of  the  new  country.  Into  these  new  communi- 
ties our  own  children  are  going.  God  calls  upon 
us  to  "care  for  our  own  household."  Our  people 
must  be  followed  to  their  new  homes,  and  there 
shepherded  amid  the  material  distractions  and 
social  demoralization  of  their  new  life.  More- 
over, the  Church  must  seize  the  present  excep- 
tional opportunities  for  laying  the  foundations 

257 


Our  Heroes,  or 

for  a  greater  denomination.  These  opportun- 
ities cannot  be  neglected  without  great  loss  to 
the  Church.  The  country  is  new.  There  is  now 
room  "on  the  ground  floor."  We  are  making 
history — it  is  being  written  rapidly,  to-morrow 
will  be  too  late.  United  Brethrenism  is  now 
working  painfully  and  at  great  odds  to  secure 
property  and  influence  that  could  have  been  had 
for  the  asking  less  than  a  generation  ago.  Is  it 
not  time  that  the  Church  awake  to  the  situation, 
and  rally  her  forces  to  provide  our  home  mis- 
sionary agencies  with  means  not  only  to  avoid 
such  mistakes  in  the  future,  but  to  recapture 
some  of  the  forces  that  we  have  failed  to  con- 
serve in  the  past? 

The  claims  of  the  frontier  upon  the  mission- 
ary spirit  of  the  Church  are  imperative  from  a 
national  consideration.  As  a  denomination  we 
must  take  our  part,  and  bear  our  responsibility 
in  securing  that  the  new  commonwealths  of  the 
American  Union  shall  lay  their  foundations  in 
righteousness  and  raise  their  walls  in  the  fear 
of  God.  There  is  a  call  for  a  new  enlistment 
and  a  larger  investment  upon  the  part  of  Amer- 
ican Protestantism  if  the  work  is  to  be  accom- 
plished. More  people  pass  annually  through  the 
tliree  great  gateways  to  the  West — Kansas  City, 
Omaha,  and  St.  Paul — to  make  homes  in  the 
Dakotas,  INIontana,,  and  the  Pacific  Northwest, 
or  in  that  land  of  miracles,  the  new  Southwest, 
than  come  to  us  through  the  open  ports  of  New 
York,     Boston,    and    Philadelphia.      In    those 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

mighty  empire  States  and  territories,  children 
are  growing  up  to  manhood  and  womanhood 
without  religious  instruction.  There  are  coun- 
ties in  California,  Oregon,  Washington,  Colo- 
rado, Idaho,  and  Montana  with  no  churches  and 
no  missionaries.  Ward  Piatt,  in  his  great  book, 
"The  Frontier,"  tells  us  there  are  not  two  hun- 
dred churches  in  the  great  State  of  Montana,  but 
there  are  more  than  that  number  of  saloons  in 
a  single  town.  Four-fifths  of  the  people  of  the 
State  are  not  reached  by  any  sort  of  religious 
influence. 

Moreover,  the  claim  of  the  frontier  is  a  world 
claim.  In  the  judgment  of  present  day  prophets, 
the  evangelization  of  the  world  is  contingent 
upon  the  Church  of  America's  response  to  this 
claim.  The  late  John  Henry  Barrows,  president 
of  the  World's  Congress  of  Religions  at  Chicago, 
and  lecturer  of  the  "Haskel  Foundation  in 
India,"  said,  "The  battle  that  will  determine  the 
final  outcome  for  Jesus  Christ  over  everj^  oppos- 
ing enemy  in  this  world,  is  not  being  fought  in 
Chinai,  India,  or  Japan,  but  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley."  A  Christian  statesman  recently  re- 
marked, "Men  search  for  the  north  pole,  but  if 
you  want  to  find  where  the  center  of  this  world 
is  in  possibilities,  where  swings  the  axis  of  the 
earth  around  which  whirl  the  destinies  of  human- 
ity, you  will  find  it  somewhere  between  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  and  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

The  city  is  receiving  our  people  with  open 
arms.     Trained  in  Christian  homes,  they  have 

259 


Our  Heroes,  or 

that  integrity  of  character  which  any  city  prizes. 
It  is  easy  to  get  lost  in  a  city.  Other  churches 
have  learned  that  United  Brethren  make  valu- 
able members,  and  are  not  slow  to  invite  them 
into  their  folds.  A  church  extension  secretary 
of  another  denomination  recently  remarked  that 
he  had  been  engaged  for  twenty  years  in  starting 
churches  of  his  own  denomination  with  United 
Brethren  people  in  the  cities  of  the  northwest. 
If  we  would  conserve  our  forces  we  must  press 
vigorously  the  work  of  establishing  churches  in 
the  cities. 

The  great  Paul,  who  was  the  first  and  greatest 
master  in  ecclesiastical  military  strategy,  was 
ardent  in  establishing  the  church  in  the  chief 
cities  of  the  empire.  The  strategic  value  of  such 
a  vantage  ground  is  even  more  apparent  in  our 
day.  The  progress  our  denomination  has  made 
in  city  missionary  work  in  recent  years  is 
most  gratifying ;  within  six  years  our  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  has  assisted  in  establishing  the 
Church  in  forty  cities,  and  has  made  appropria- 
tions to  start  work  in  ten  additional  centers  dur- 
ing the  ensuing  year. 

Unless  we  follow  our  members  into  the  cities, 
as  well  as  to  the  frontier,  they  are  lost  to  our 
Church,  and  many  of  them  to  the  kingdom  of 
God.  The  same  truth  holds  with  regard  to  un- 
occupied towns  and  villages  in  the  present  con- 
ference territories. 

But  why  try  to  keep  these  people  United 
Brethren?     Will  not  the  kingdom  of  Christ  be 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

advanced  just  the  same  by  their  going  into  other 
churches?  Such  argument  followed  to  its  legit- 
imate conclusion  will  call  our  Church  out  of 
commission  altogether.  So  long  as  denomina- 
tionalism  has  its  place  in  what  appears  to  be  a 
necessary  and  providential  order,  there  must  be 
wisdom  in  bringing  every  particular  denomina- 
tion to  the  highest  degree  of  efficiency  as  a  de- 
nomination. The  universal  Church  is  an  army, 
and,  usually,  the  more  efficient  every  regiment 
is,  the  more  efficient  the  army  as  a  Avhole  will  be. 
There  is  no  other  way  to  achieve  "a  spirit  of  the 
corps"  worthy  the  Church's  calling,  or  equal  to 
the  exactions  of  the  great  campaign.  Denom- 
inational activity  and  intensity,  so  far  from 
arguing  narrowness,  are  an  assurance  of  gather- 
ing power  for  the  help  of  the  kingdom.  The 
reason  for  our  existence  is  that  God  w^ants  a 
church  which  insists  upon  a  vital  religious  ex- 
perience, and  if  ours  forsakes  that  standard, 
God  will  raise  up  another  to  do  the  very  thing 
we  have  an  opportunity  to  do.  The  church 
which  ceases  to  expand  begins  to  contract.  If 
we  have  a  right  to  live,  we  have  a  duty  to  spread 
to  the  city  and  frontier. 

Whence  shall  come  the  help  to  organize  these 
new  churches?  Some  one  answers,  "Let  those 
who  move  away  establish  their  own  churches 
and  support  their  preachers."  One  with  any 
knowledge  of  the  situation  must  see  the  impossi- 
bility of  this  method  in  nearly  every  instance. 
Tlie  members  are  too  few  in  number  and  have 

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Otir  Heroes,  or 

too  little  available  money  to  finance  an  under- 
taking on  a  scale  to  insure  success.  Outside 
help  is  necessary.  Another  says,  "Let  their 
friends  at  home  furnish  the  means."  But  the 
removal  of  members  usually  weakens  the  home 
society  so  that  those  remaining  have  additional 
financial  obligations,  which  fact  renders  ade- 
quate help  out  of  the  question.  No  matter 
whether  it  is  the  frontier,  the  city,  or  the  inter- 
vening towns,  assistance  from  some  general 
source  is  needed  to  guarantee  satisfactory  re- 
sults. 

The  only  plan  our  Church  has  to  support  a 
preacher  in  a  new  place,  until  local  strength  is 
sufficient  for  maintenance,  is  through  the  Home 
Missionary  Society,  supplemented  by  similar  or- 
ganizations in  annual  conferences.  Our  Church 
to-day  is  strong  only  where  the  home  missionary 
labored.  Present  conditions  bespeak  the  same 
in  regard  to  the  future  streng-fh  of  the  Church, 
and  in  an  emphasized  way. 

Calls  coming  from  all  sections  of  the  rapidly 
developing  West,  Northwest,  South,  and  South- 
west are  God's  call,  as  to  his  people  of  old :  "En- 
large the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch 
forth  the  curtains  of  their  habitations;  spare 
not,  lengthen  thy  cords  and  strengthen  thy 
stakes."  If  we  are  to  conserve  our  forces  we 
must  press  our  extension  work  from  places  where 
we  are,  to  places  where  we  are  not,  and  yet  where 
our  people  are;  and  we  must  build  substantially 
as  we  go.     "Expansion"  must  be  our  denomina- 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

tional  slogan,  and  we  must  shout  it  out  and 
sound  it  forth  until  the  glad  day,  when  United 
Brethren  fathers  and  mothers  may  know  that 
when  their  sons  and  daughters  go  out  from  the 
old  home  to  the  nearby  city,  or  to  the  distant 
frontier,  they  will  still  enjoy  the  shepherding  of 
United  Brethren  pastors,  and  thus  find  spiritual 
food  and  social  fellowship  in  the  Church  of  their 
parents. 

The  completion  of  so  great  a  task  means  a 
mighty  outlay  of  men  and  money.  The  Home 
Missionary  Society  needs  at  present  an  annual 
income  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Every 
dollar  could  be  placed  to  the  honor  of  our  Lord. 
The  annual  gifts  should  be  supplemented  by  the 
income  from  a  great  endowment.  The  society 
at  once  should  set  the  endowment  goal  at  a  mil- 
lion dollars,  and  lay  and  work  plans  to  secure 
it.  To  this  provision  must  be  added  a  cor- 
responding concern  and  effort  upon  the  part  of 
the  annual  conferences  to  enter  each  center  in 
their  respective  territory  now  occupied  by  the 
Church.  This  is  our  task  if  we  would  provide 
for  the  natural  growth  of  the  Church  and  con- 
serve onr  denominational  resources.  It  will, 
however,  require  the  heroism  of  the  olden  time. 

The  Home  Mission  and  Church  Erection  so- 
cieties must  supplement  each  other  in  the  pros- 
ecution of  the  work.  They  are  inseparably 
connected.  The  Home  Missionary  Society  sends 
out  the  living  minister  to  preach  the  gospel  in 
neglected  fields;  but  where    shall    he    preach? 

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Our  Heroes^  or 

Where  garner  the  fruits  of  his  preaching? 
Where  organize  his  church  and  utilize  the  power 
of  converted  souls  for  further  conquest?  These 
are  questions  fundamental  to  any  true  and  per- 
manent success.  Church  Erection  comes  in  to 
answer.  It  says  to  the  people,  "Do  all  you  can 
and  we  will  help  you."  With  this  proffered  aid 
the  strength  of  the  community  is  called  out,  the 
house  of  worship  is  erected,  the  gospel  is 
fvreached,  souls  saved,  and  tlie  rewards  of  the 
home  missionary's  toils  conserved.  The  present 
demands  upon  this  society  make  clear  the  fact 
that  to  provide  for  the  natural  growth  of  the 
Church,  it  should  have  a  working  capital  of  one 
million  dollars. 

To-day  is  the  testing  time  for  United  Breth- 
renismu  We  are  at  the  parting  of  the  ways. 
Present  policies  and  methods  are  insufficient. 
Results  are  altogether  unsatisfactory.  The 
fathers  met  the  conditions  of  their  times  and 
served  well  their  day  and  generation.  It  is  now 
time  for  the  sons  to  speak.  We  are  the  fathers 
of  to-day.  Destiny  speaks,  and  says,  "It  is  thy 
day;  speak  thy  word,  show  thy  power,  reveal  thy 
nullity  or  capacity."  If  we  fail  God  will  find 
others  to  carry  forward  his  work.  If  we  are 
courageous  and  stout-hearted  and  ready  to  meet 
the  conditions  of  the  new  times,  with  men  and 
methods,  God  will  surely  use  us  in  the  future  as 
in  the  past.  It  is  not  a  question  as  to  whether 
we  have  a  future  as  a  denomination ;  that  matter 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

is  settled.  The  real  question  is,  will  we  rise  to 
our  opportunity  and  be  faithful  to  our  mission? 

More  ministers,  with  better  equipment,  is  the 
call  of  the  hour.  The  work  of  discovery  must 
begin  in  the  home.  Family  altars  must  be  built 
or  rebuilt.  There  ministers  are  born.  The 
matter  must  be  emphasized  in  the  Sunday 
schools,  in  the  Christian  Endeavor  societies,  and 
the  of&ce  magnified  before  the  student  bodies  of 
our  colleges.  Scholarships  must  be  provided  for 
students  both  of  the  college  and  the  Seminary. 
These  must  be  supplemented  with  a  theological 
seminary  second  to  none  in  the  land  in  its 
material  equipment  and  character  of  work.  It 
is  then  for  the  Church  to  provide,  to  care  for,  and 
adequately  support  her  ministry. 

The  times  call  for  a  new  chivalry  upon  the 
part  of  our  leaders.  Men  of  the  heroic  spirit 
and  who  possess  the  passion  of  achievement. 
We  need  Christian  workers  everywhere,  who 
gather  their  inspiration  at  Calvary's  cross  and 
tlieir  strength  direct  from  the  God  of  our  fathers. 
There  is  a  special  call  for  our  denominational 
colleges  to  render  the  highest  possible  service  to 
the  denomination  by  inculcating  loyalty,  by  dis- 
covering future  leaders,  and  by  assisting  in 
strengthening  the  Church  in  every  possible  way 
throughout  their  co-operating  territories.  The 
rendering  of  such  a  service  is  the  only  reason  for 
their  existence. 

The  task  of  overcoming  our  losses  calls  for  a 
new  enlistment  of  the  manhood  of  the  denom- 

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Our  Heroes,  or 

ination.  The  Church  is  coming  to  recognize  the 
psychological  fact  that  the  adult  mind  demands 
a  large  field  for  achievement,  a  large  proposition, 
a  ^'big  job."  Men  have  always  been  willing  to 
respond  to  the  call  of  a  great  cause.  Here  is  a 
task  suflflciently  large,  and  an  objective  sufficient- 
ly worthy  to  call  out  and  enlist  the  strongest 
manhood  of  the  Church,  and  its  accomplishment 
will  require  the  strength,  courage,  virility,  and 
heroism  that  men  only  can  give.  The  conserva- 
tion of  our  denominational  resources  should  be 
the  slogan  of  the  Otterbein  Brotherhood,  and  of 
our  organized  Bible  classes. 

The  task  calls  for  a  new  enlistment  of  the 
womanhood  of  the  Church.  The  lessons  we  learn 
of  the  agencies  that  have  made  possible  the  suc- 
cess of  the  larger  denominations  in  their  exten- 
sion work  in  the  home  field,  admonish  us  that 
we  shall  never  succeed  in  overcoming  our  losses, 
and  in  developing  a  denominational  loyalty 
sufficient  to  conserve  our  forces  without  the 
sympathetic  cooperation  and  the  largest  or- 
ganized help  of  our  noble  women,  in  the  extension 
of  our  work  in  the  home  field.  God's  larger  plan 
for  the  service  of  the  womanhood  of  the  de- 
nominaition  will  never  be  lived  out  until  the  call 
to  this  great  work  is  heeded.  Nor  shall  we  ever 
succeed  in  doing  our  part  in  saving  America 
without  the  help  of  this  mighty  agency.  In  her 
introduction  to  "Conserving  Our  National 
Ideals,"  Margaret  E.  Sangster  says,  "The  women 
of  the  Christian  Church  in  America  are  called 

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United  Brethren  Home  Missionaries 

upon  in  this  hour  for  that  which  concerns  far 
more  than  any  dream,  the  permanence  of  the  Re- 
public and  the  well-being  of  their  children." 

The  measure  of  the  response  of  our  combined 
forces  to  this  urgent  call  and  immediate  duty, 
will  measure  our  denominational  future,  and 
thereby  our  service  to  the  world.  Our  outlook  is 
expressed  in  the  one  word,  "Opportunity."  It  is 
evident  that  in  these  recent  years  we  have  been 
gathering  strength  for  aggressive  work.  In 
twenty  years  the  value  of  our  Church  property 
has  been  multiplied  by  three.  Our  institutions 
are  practically  out  of  debt.  We  have  a  Sunday 
school  constituency  one  hundred  thousand  above 
the  communicant  membership  of  the  Church. 
We  must  now  summon  and  unite  our  forces  in 
a  denominational  push,  or  we  will  stand  in  the 
way  of  God's  larger  purpose  for  our  denom- 
inational future. 

The  divine  command  comes  to  us,  as  to  God's 
Israel  of  old,  "Go  forward." 

"Onward  are  his  marching  orders, 
He  who  leads  to  victory." 

God  of  our  fathers,  help  us  to  answer,  "Master, 
we  will  foUmo!" 


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Kr'ofs^'r^^t'ed  Brethren  ho.e 

Pnncelon  Theolog.cal  Semmary-Speer  bbrary 


1012  00047  2276 


